Huda Beauty has pulled their partnership with ‘Love Island USA‘ Season 7 star Huda Mustafa after she and her boyfriend, ‘Too Hot To Handle‘ star Louis Russell were caught laughing on live at a racial slur aimed at fellow S7 Love Islander Olandria Carthen.
Huda Mustafa And Louis Russell Answer Apparent Prank Call And Laugh At Racial Slur Aimed At Olandria Carthen
Recently, Mustafa and Russell were spotted on a livestream answering a phone call. During the apparent prank call, the couple claimed a child fired off a racial slur aimed at Carthen. Immediately after hearing the word, they hung up and burst into laughter. The couple later claimed their laughs were just a second nature response to being caught in an awkward situation while on live.
While responding to the backlash, Mustafa took to her Instagram Story and wrote:
“Y’all, first of all, clickbait using a sensitive topic is actually insane. Me and Louis did not hear what was said in that No Caller ID call on live, only the racial slur which we hung up
immediately. I don’t condone anything of the sort. Whoever called purposely continuously called while we were live. I really don’t condone racism which is why it was immediately hung up. Once again, we did not hear it very well, considering it sounded like a child, only the last slur. I just wanted to address this before it blows out of proportion.Also, laughter was because it was AWKWARD. Like, who the heck says something offensive like that on a call on his live? And as you can hear me say, ‘What did they say?,” and, ‘They said a bad word,” because that’s ALL I heard was the bad word. It was awkward and inappropriate. Whoever said it is in the wrong.”
Russell also spoke out initially and condemned the people “hating on his girl.” He said they are both not racist, especially noting that he is Black, and she is with him.
Olandria Carthen Responds To Video Of Huda Mustafa And Louis Russell Laughing At Racial Slur Aimed At Her
Olandria Carthen eventually addressed the incident, condemning racism. In a lengthy post on her Instagram Story, she wrote:
“I do not condone racism of any kind, nor do I entertain it. That kind of language is never acceptable. Not in anger, not as a joke, not ever. Words like that carry generations of pain, and pretending otherwise only keeps the cycle going. Defending it, laughing about it, or making excuses is even worse. I will not let this moment derail my purpose of uplifting my community. I’m standing firm in who I am and using this as an opportunity to call for real accountability and awareness. We all have a role in building a culture where speaking to one another with respect is the standard, and where speaking against hate speech is the bare minimum.
While I anticipate this will result in surface level apologies that fade in a few days, I’d like to transform this moment into something actionable. I encourage those who have participated in the stream and their followers to demonstrate a genuine commitment to anti-racism by donating to organizations and foundations dedicated to educating and uplifting this community such as the UNCF, NAACP, and/or the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. I will be making a personal donation as well. In the next slides, ‘ll be sharing donation links to contribute in support of HBCUs and underfunded educational resources for Black students.”
Huda Mustafa Apologizes To Olandria Carthen And Louis Russell Apologizes To All Offended After Laughing At Racial Slur Aimed At Olandria
Louis Russell later addressed the incident again, this time attempting an apology to all offended. Taking to his Instagram Story, he wrote:
“I’d like to extend my sincerest apology to all those affected by the caller who used language that completely goes against everything we stand for. Huda and I were extremely caught off guard. As a Black man, I have greater empathy through my own lived experiences battling racism, and the idea that a flustered response to a very unnerving situation could be misinterpreted for me not taking the matter seriously is incredibly disheartening.
I was extremely shocked that someone would so casually use harmful and dangerous language, and Huda and I both recognized the immediate need to end the call so we could process what had just happened. We were shocked that what sounded like a young caller could so thoughtlessly speak that way.
This was an extremely unfortunate situation, one that in no way reflects my values, nor Huda’s. We are both very proud of the way we’ve used our platforms to be a voice for those who are often under-represented, especially on TV. We are even more motivated now to approach every audience interaction with respect, inclusivity, and care.”
Meanwhile, Huda Mustafa issued a direct apology to Olandria Carthen. Taking to her Instagram Story again, she wrote:
“I’ve taken the majority of the day to reflect and collect my thoughts to make sure this didn’t come off as disingenuous. Last night, I quickly posted a statement acknowledging my reaction to the racial slur that was said on Louis livestream. I want to take this moment to more fully take accountability for my actions.
I want to begin by saying I completely respect Olandria and it’s extremely disheartening that anyone, especially a presumed child, would find it excusable to use this type of language, and doing so only underlines the ignorance of the gravity that such a word carries.
Olandria – it is now clear that this comment was targeted at you, and I apologize for my immediate reaction. My reaction in that moment came from being caught off guard, not from finding the word or situation funny. It was a nervous, uncomfortable reaction that I recognize was inappropriate. I want to be clear that I do not condone or tolerate anyone who uses such language, and I strongly encourage the individual responsible to reflect deeply on their words and the harm they’ve caused
I’m making a personal donation to the NAACP and encourage anyone who feels moved to do the same. I will also share a list of additional organizations that support racial equity, education, and mental health support, so that anyone who wants to contribute can do so meaningfully. With love, Huda.”
Mustafa also appeared to research three organizations that Carthen shared to her Story when responding to the drama. At the time, Carthen requested donations for: UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and TMCF (Thurgood Marshall College Fund).
‘Love Island USA’ Star Huda Mustafa Loses Huda Beauty Partnership After Olandria Carthen Racial Slur Scandal
Since her racial slur scandal with Olandria Carthen, Huda Mustafa has now lost her brand deal with Huda Beauty. On Friday (October 31), the cosmetics company addressed Mustafa’s actions while ending its partnership. The company claimed one of its “recent collaborators” had “displayed behavior that does not align with our values.” The company fully wrote:
“At Huda Beauty, kindness and humanity are at the heart of everything we do. Unfortunately, one of our recent collaborators has displayed behavior that does not align with our values. We are truly disappointed by Huda Mustafa’s recent live and we take all forms of racism very seriously. While we don’t believe her actions reflect her character, we found them deeply upsetting. We know that many members of our community and team were hurt and offended by these actions.
While we valued the partnership we had with Huda, her recent behavior, and the way the situation has been handled does not reflect our brand’s principles. As a result, we have decided to end our partnership and remove any related content from our social platforms and in-store displays. Accountability is incredibly important in moments like this, and we hope that meaningful change can come from it.”
Captioning the post, the company added:
“This action was taken not because of any creator or influencers content, this was taken due to the lack of seriousness around the issue and to people close to us who were offended by the actions during the live. Please remember this is about accountability not canceling people.”
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