Love Island USA star Huda Mustafa is paying a significant price for laughing while someone hurled a slur at her Black castmate during a recent livestream. In a decisive move, makeup giant Huda Beauty has officially pulled the plug on their partnership with the reality star following intense social media backlash.
The recent Huda controversy stems from a livestream where the former reality contestant and her boyfriend, Louis Russell (who gained popularity after appearing in the Netflix dating show universe), appeared to laugh when they received a “prank” phone call in which a fan used the N-word while referring to her former Love Island castmate, Olandria Carthen. The incident immediately sparked outrage, with fans demanding accountability from Mustafa and Russell.
As a result of the Huda controversy, Huda Beauty, the influential brand helmed by makeup mogul Huda Kattan, released a firm statement on Instagram, confirming the brand is no longer in partnership with the reality star. According to TMZ, the brand stated that while they don’t believe Mustafa’s actions reflect her “true character,” they found the situation “pretty upsetting.” The company noted that members of their community and their own team were hurt by the incident, prompting the immediate decision to end their partnership with Mustafa. They have also “scrubbed any related content” from their social media pages and in-store displays.
The Huda Controversy Recap
As BOSSIP reported, the fallout began with intense criticism from Mustafa’s former castmates and the public. This came after a statement from Olandria Carthen herself, who reacted to the controversial livestream by encouraging those involved to put their money where their mouths are and donate to organizations dedicated to uplifting the Black community.
“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,” Carthen wrote on Instagram.
Another Love Island USA star, Chelley Bissainthe, also spoke out, encouraging everyone to “not make light of moments like these,” calling racism “disgusting and disheartening.”
Following mounting criticism, Mustafa posted a rather flippant statement insisting that she and Louis hadn’t heard what was said. However, she quickly followed up with a more comprehensive apology to Olandria on Wednesday, October 28, stating she wanted to “more fully take accountability for my actions.”
“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,” Mustafa wrote.
Mustafa explained that her laugh was a nervous, uncomfortable reaction, not one of amusement. “My reaction in that moment came from being caught off guard, not from finding the word or situation funny,” she continued. “It was a nervous, uncomfortable reaction that I recognize was inappropriate.” She added that she would be making a “personal donation to the NAACP” and encouraged others to do the same.
Despite her attempt to “accept responsibility” and apologize to Olandria for her immediate reaction, the financial consequences of her actions have been swift. Huda Beauty’s statement stressed that “accountability is key in moments like this,” adding that they hope something meaningful comes out of the situation.
