Estée Lauder Just Fired An Exec Over A Racist Instagram Post & He Claims He Didn't Read It
There was so much wrong with what he posted.
Estee Lauder just fired one of its top executives for sharing an obviously racist Instagram post, so you can continue to enjoy their products without a guilty conscience.
The famous beauty brand announced on Monday that it was sacking John Demsey, the executive group president of Estee Lauder Companies, as a "result of his recent Instagram posts."
The company was referring to one post in particular, which showed a Sesame Street-style meme featuring a racist word and a COVID reference.
Demsey posted the inappropriate meme to his Instagram on February 21. It's since been deleted but @esteelaundry, a popular beauty account, reposted a screenshot of the meme and called out the exec for his racism.
Demsey was placed on unpaid leave after posting the meme, but Estee Lauder has now decided to terminate his position altogether, reported Fortune.
“This decision is the result of his recent Instagram posts, which do not reflect the values of The Estée Lauder Companies, have caused widespread offense, are damaging to our efforts to drive inclusivity both inside and outside our walls, and do not reflect the judgment we expect of our leaders,” said the statement.
Demsey took to his Instagram to apologize for his judgment before the decision to let him go was made.
“I am terribly sorry and deeply ashamed that I hurt so many people when I made the horrible mistake of carelessly reporting a racist meme without reading it beforehand. There are not enough words to express my remorse and sorrow,” Demsey wrote in his apology.
“Not only did I hurt many people whom I respect, the terrible mistake that I made had undermined everything I have been working for since I began my career 31 years ago.”
The meme was one of dozens that Demsey has posted to his Instagram account in recent weeks.
He will officially be stepping down on March 4.
