E-Paper
Huda Beauty drops Huda Mustafa after livestream racial slur incident: Controversy explained
On Friday, Huda Beauty announced it would be ending its collaboration with Huda Mustafa in light of the racial slur controversy.
'Love Island USA' Season 7 star Huda Mustafa has found herself at the center of controversy following her reaction to a racial slur directed at her co-star Olandria Carthen during a recent livestream. The incident sparked swift backlash online, prompting Mustafa to issue an apology. It ultimately led to Huda Beauty cutting ties with her.
The controversy
During an Instagram Live earlier this week, Mustafa and her boyfriend, Louis Russell, known from Netflix’s Perfect Match, received a call from a fan who used a racial slur aimed at Carthen, who is Black.
A clip obtained by TMZ shows the couple appearing startled before laughing briefly and ending the call. In the video, Russell can be heard saying, "Whoa, hey, hey."
Their reaction immediately drew criticism online, with many accusing the pair of not taking the situation seriously enough.
The apology
Mustafa, 25, later addressed the backlash on her Instagram Stories, insisting that neither she nor Russell initially understood what was said.
She wrote, "I don’t condone anything of the sort."
Mustafa also issued a longer statement apologizing directly to Carthen.
“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,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
“Olandria — it is now clear that this comment was targeted at you, and I apologize for my immediate reaction,” she continued. “My reaction in that moment came from being off guard, not from finding the word or the 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,” she added.
Olandria Carthen reacts
Carthen responded in her own Instagram Story on Wednesday, calling the use of the slur "unacceptable."
"Words like that carry generations of pain, and pretending otherwise only keeps the cycle going," Carthen, in part, said. "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."
Huda Beauty ends partnership
On Friday, Huda Beauty announced it would be ending its collaboration with Mustafa in light of the controversy.
"We are truly disappointed by Huda Mustafa's recent live and we take all forms of racism very seriously," the cosmetics company said in a statement posted to Instagram. "While we don't believe her actions reflect her character, we found them deeply upsetting."
It continued: "We know that many members of our community and team were hurt and offended by these actions."
The brand confirmed it had ended its partnership with Mustafa and removed all related content from its social media channels and in-store displays.
The company continued, "Accountability is incredibly important in moments like this, and we hope that meaningful change can come from it."
