Estee Lauder has forced its senior brand executive to take a powder after he posted a Sesame Street-themed racial slur that joked about the coronavirus on his personal Instagram.
John Demsey, 65, who handled MAC and Clinique – two of the company’s biggest brands – was forced out of the cosmetic company after 31 years amid growing public pressure regarding posting of a mock children’s book cover which showed Big Bird at the bedside Mr. Snuffleupagus, who has a thermometer in his mouth.
John Demsey, 65, who makes $9.6 million a year, was
‘My [racial slur] Snuffy done got the ‘rona at a Chingy concert,’ the book title says, referring to the rapper.
Chief Executive Fabrizio Freda and Chairman William Lauder first suspended Dempsey without pay last week, the Wall Street Journal first reported, but after taking the weekend to think about it, they decided to make it permanent.
“Today, John Demsey, Executive Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies, was informed he must leave the company, effective this week,’ the company said in a public statement.
Demsey posted this apology to his Instagram account after removing the
‘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.’
Demsey, who reportedly made $9.6 million from the makeup company last year, apologized for his social media faux pas last week.
“I am terribly sorry and deeply ashamed that I hurt so many people when I made the horrible mistake of carelessly reposting a racist meme without regarding it beforehand,’ he posted on his Instagram account, after taking down the offending post. ‘There are not enough words to express my remorse and sorrow.’
The executive’s verified Instagram profile has over 73,000 followers and includes images on Estee Lauder’s MAC Cosmetics and Clinique brands, as well as several memes.
Demsey oversees a wide portfolio of brands, including Too Faced and Smashbox. He joined Estee Lauder in 1991 and has held several positions before the cosmetics maker named him executive group president in 2015.
The company said that they forced Demsey out because ‘our employees, and especially our senior leaders, are accountable to continue driving our progress and to respect the values of this company for the long term.’
