After more than three decades at makeup giant Estée Lauder, John Demsey senior executive lost his job in just a few days because of a meme with the letter N he posted on his Instagram page.
“Today, John Demsey, Chairman of the Executive Group, Estée Lauder Companies, was informed that he must leave the company, effective this week,” the company announced Monday, in a statement. statement from Executive Chairman William Lauder and CEO Fabrizio Freda.
Dempsey’s social media posts, the statement said, “have caused widespread outrage, are undermining our efforts to promote inclusion both within and outside of our walls. us, and does not reflect the judgment we expect from our leaders.”
Based on The Wall Street Journalwhich first report During last week’s controversy, one of Demsey’s Instagram posts featured a “fake” Sesame Street book cover.
Being an insider reportsince delete photo manipulation mentioned one of the characters using the N word, saying that he “finished singing rona at a Chingy concert,” . referring to coronavirus. “
He was suspended last Tuesday while the company investigated the situation.
Demsey then posted a statement on her Instagram page claim he posted the image “without reading it first” and said he was “deeply sorry and deeply embarrassed”.
“The meme is the furthest thing from what I stand for and I should never have re-posted it,” he added. “I hope that people will judge me in time, not because of this terrible mistake, but because of my lifelong words and actions, words and actions that show my respect for them. with everyone.” It’s clear that the makeup giant didn’t make that excuse — or didn’t care. Estée Lauder will now need a new leader to oversee the Clinique and MAC brands, which are owned by Demsey.
