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24-year-old influencer Huda Mustafa loses a brand deal after her recent livestream racism scandal. Popular beauty brand Huda Beauty shared on an Instagram post on October 31 that they were severing ties with one of their “recent collaborators” who “displayed behavior that does not align with our values.”
The post aimed at the Love Island USA star also shared, “We are truly disappointed by Huda Mustafa’s recent live and we take all forms of racism very seriously.” They shared that while they didn’t believe Mustafa’s actions reflected her character, the beauty brand saw how it offended many people in the community. The brand vowed to “remove any related content from our social platforms and in-store displays.”
The Palestinian-American star has been open about her roots. She has called out the war in Gaza publicly and has asked her fans for contributions to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. She shared about her actions with GQ Middle East:
I repost anything I see about Palestine because I want to make sure people are aware of what’s going on. [In the future] I want to travel overseas to help kids in need, help people in need. These [issues] are so important to me.
She ended her interview with a call to “free Palestine”. During her appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, she revealed her stressful childhood (via TMZ). She shared about the abuse she faced from her father and their strained relationship. She also recalled how she was bullied in school.
She shared, “Girls would push me into lockers.” She shared that she was constantly mocked for being “Muslim” and “Palestinian”, with her fellow students calling her a “terrorist”. She further shared that she kept the bullying to herself and never told anyone about it.
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What Happened on Huda Mustafa and Partner Louis Russell’s Livestream?
Huda Mustafa and her partner, Louis Russell, were bashed on social media after a clip from their recent live went viral. In the clip, a fan who called Mustafa and Russell used a racial slur towards her Love Island co-star, Olandria Carthen.
In the video shared by TMZ, Mustafa and the Too Hot to Handle star answered a phone call from an unknown caller. They were seemingly taken aback by the racial slur as they laughed nervously before ending the call. As they cut the call, Russell could be heard saying, “Whoa, hey, hey.”
While they did not encourage the fan, their response didn’t impress the online community. Fans bashed her for laughing at the racial slur and trivializing it. However, this wasn’t the first time that Mustafa’s response, or lack thereof, towards racism was called out.
During the Love Island reunion, Carthen called out Mustafa for refusing to speak up for her and fellow islander Chelley Bissainthe when fans spewed hate and racism towards her. The hate against Carthen and Bissainthe was a result of Mustafa’s claims that she was bullied in the villa. Mustafa, Carthen, and Bissainthe were a tight-knit group during the show. Carthen shared at the time (via Variety):
I wish you would’ve prioritized that moment to address the racism and the bullying towards me and Chelley since that was spewed out the most. Your face was not plastered on f**king George Floyd’s body. Mine was, and I told you that. It was that bad. That sh*t hurts. I’m glad you’ve grown from it now, but that sh*t hurts. We were close, and you didn’t f**king speak up for me.
Carthen and Bissainthe shared on the show that they were not okay to be friends with Mustafa after the incident. Interestingly, Carthen responded to the racial slur against her, calling for real accountability.
Olandria Carthen’s Response and Huda Mustafa’s Apology
Olandria Carthen with Nic Vansteenberghe on Love Island USA | Credits: PeacockOlandria Carthen responded to the racism scandal on Huda Mustafa’s livestream with an Instagram story (via USA Today). She shared that she did not condone any kind of racism, “not in anger, not as a joke, not ever.” She further shared on her October 29 story that it was even worse when people defended it, laughed about it, and made excuses.
Carthen called for “real accountability and awareness” after Mustafa tried to defend herself. The Love Island star’s story read:
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.
Carthen further pledged personal donations to UNCF, NAACP, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to uplift the Black community. Mustafa issues an apology on Wednesday after initially downplaying the backlash. She admitted to failing to take accountability for her actions. She shared:
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.
She further shared that she didn’t condone or tolerate the use of such slurs and encouraged the fan responsible to reflect on their words. She also pledged personal donations to the NAACP.
What do you think of Huda Mustafa’s livestream racism incident and subsequent reactions? Let us know in the comments below!
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