Estee Lauder executive forced out over racist Instagram post

Makeup company Estee Lauder has fired a senior executive over an Instagram post that contained the n-word.

In a statement on Monday, Estee Lauder confirmed the firing of senior executive John Demsey, who served as the Executive Group President.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Demsey posted a spoof book cover of the children’s TV show “Sesame Street” which contained the “n-word” with some letters replaced with asterisks. The post has since been deleted.

Estee Lauder said Demsey’s remarks “do not reflect the values” of the company. 

 “Inclusion, diversity and equity are core to our company’s values and priorities globally. Furthermore, over the past two years, we have worked together as an organization to advance our approach to racial equity and have taken a hard look at where we can and should do better. Together we are making progress against our commitments to our employees, our partners, and consumers,” Estee Lauder said in a statement. 

“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.” 

Demsey’s Instagram account, which has more than 73,000 followers and nearly 51,000 posts, contains high fashion images and memes that range from jokes about heiresses and poorly applied eyeliner to ones about being unmotivated and depressed, the Journal reported.

The New York-based cosmetic company had previously placed Demsey without pay indefinitely on Tuesday, the Journal noted. 

Demsey, who has worked with entertainment stars such as Mary J. Blige,  Rihanna, and rapper Saweetie, has apologized for his remarks.  

“Not only did I hurt many people whom I respect, the terrible mistake that I made has undermined everything I have been working for since I began my career 31 years ago,” Dempsey said. “I hope that in time people will judge me, not for this awful mistake, but for my lifetime of words and actions, which demonstrate my respect for all people.”