Kim Kardashian West has apologised for telling fans to “get over” the racist past of makeup artist Jeffree Star, telling fans that she “really didn’t know enough about the situation” to begin with.
This situation, as it were, is a bit of a headspin. Basically: Kimmy’s makeup brand KKW Beauty announced it was launching a new line of powder contour kits, and posted swatches on her Snapchat. Jeffree, a major beauty blogger with over a million followers on Twitter, tweeted screenshots, saying: “Umm… Kim what is going on with those new swatches?? Looks like chalk.”
https://twitter.com/JeffreeStar/status/897160880336519170
https://twitter.com/JeffreeStar/status/897161137652875265
https://twitter.com/JeffreeStar/status/897174689956614144
Then Kim’s fans started jumping on Jeffree, and that’s where things started to get messy, because Kim took to Snapchat to defend him.
“I see that my fans are totally hating on Jeffree Star for being honest about my struggle swatches, but because of his remarks I’m learning from the best!”
But then she told her fans they were being “petty” for bringing up things from Jeffree’s past, which includes screaming racial abuse at strangers on the street, some of which was caught on film.
“Guys, I see you being so petty and bringing up things in [Star’s] past where he was negative, but he has also apologised for those things. I get [that] it’s a serious deal if you say racial things, but I do believe in people changing, and people that apologise, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and accept that people change and move on. I know better than anyone that I hate when people bring up my past or mistakes that I’ve made in the past. So let him live.”
The thing is, Jeffree’s “past” includes screaming racial and misogynistic abuse at people in the street, plenty of which has been caught on film. After he was called out for it by tattoo artist and makeup entrepreneur Kat Von D last year, he apologised for his past behaviour, but screaming things like “Shut up, you fucking n***** bitch!” and making a joke like “You say black folk cannot wear MAC Cosmetics, and then you splashed acid in her face” can be pretty hard to forgive.
https://twitter.com/ShesRYAN/status/897454294517116930
So in the same series of Snapchats, Kim claimed to not be here for racism, but was happy to give him the benefit of the doubt that he had changed.
“So everyone get off his ass and let’s now be so negative. we’ll all in this together. We’re all in this together. Love you Jeffree.
“I want to make one last thing clear: I do not defend people that are racist and I am very against it. But if someone claims that they have changed, I would love to give them the benefit of the doubt and I pray to God that they do change for the sake of my children and my friends.
“So I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I do not support people that are racist., and that’s why I so appreciate that he apologised and was really honest about the things that he said in the past, so just enough, just don’t bring it up anymore. People want to forget the negative things that they did in the past, and I do too.”
The backlash against Kim was swift, with people calling out the celeb for telling them to “get over” racism.
Good Morning, KIM KARDASHIAN HAS BLACK CHILDREN BUT IS TELLING YOU TO, “GET OVER” SOMEONE MAKING RACIST STATEMENTS BCUZ, “he said sorry”. 🙄
— Amanda Seales 🇬🇩✊🏾 (@amandaseales) August 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/youngsinick/status/897462497707536388
https://twitter.com/Cecezhanae/status/897472662255136768
https://twitter.com/kxtie23/status/897470114756481025
Black people calling out blatant racism directed towards them = being petty. This Is Kim K logic.
— Alien Superstar (@_Xolile_) August 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/moneeekb/status/897470051783254016
Jeffree Star’s own “friends” fell back from his ass over his vile & racist behavior throughout the years (although I side eye them too)
— Chocolate American (@extravicious) August 15, 2017
So after all that, Kim realised she’d kinda fucked up here, and apologised for her earlier Snapchats in, yep, another Snapchat.
“I really wanted to apologise to you guys and my fans for defending a situation yesterday that I really didn’t know enough about. I just feel a bit naïve and I do want to really apologise for me feeling like I had the right to say, ‘Get over it,’ in a situation that involves racism. I don’t really feel like I have the right to speak on that. … I really am sorry and I just want to move forward and be positive.”
Which just about catches us all up.
