Photo: Huda Beauty
Huda Beauty is dropping their collaboration with Love Island alum Huda Mustafa following her involvement in a livestream during which a caller called her former castmate, Olandria Carthen, a racial slur.
On Friday (October 31), the makeup brand, founded by Huda Kattan, announced that they were cutting ties with Mustafa amid backlash over the Love Island star's response to the slur.
"At Huda Beauty, kindness and humanity are at the heart of everything we do. Unfortunately, one of our recent collaborators has displayed behavior that does not align with our values," a statement shared on the company's Instagram page reads. "We are truly disappointed by Huda Mustafa's recent live and we take all forms of racism very seriously. While we don't believe her actions reflect her character, we found them deeply upsetting."
"We know that many members of our community and team were hurt and offended by these actions. While we valued the partnership we had with Huda, her recent behavior, and the way the situation has been handled does not reflect our brand's principles. As a result, we have decided to end our partnership and remove any related content from our social platforms and in-store displays."
The announcement comes after Mustafa and her boyfriend, Perfect Match star Louis Russell, appeared to laugh during a livestream when a caller targeted Carthen with a racial slur.
“Olandria is a n***er," the caller said.
The pair initially released statements defending their actions, claiming they didn't fully hear the caller's words and had laughed out of discomfort. However, following widespread backlash, Mustafa issued a second statement on Instagram, apologizing for her actions.
“Olandria — it is now clear that this comment was targeted at you, and I apologize for my immediate reaction,” Mustafa wrote in part. “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.”
Several social media users and Mustafa's fellow castmates from Love Island USA season 7 condemned the reality star for appearing to laugh at the racial slur targeted at Carthen. Carthen also spoke out about the situation, writing on her Instagram Stories that she does not “condone racism of any kind, nor do I entertain it.”
Following the success of season 7, Huda Beauty launched a collaboration with Mustafa to promote its new Easy Bake Duo Loose Powder. Mustafa was featured in promotional materials, including official commercials and social media content for the new product. She was also sent to New York City for its official launch.
"Accountability is incredibly important in moments like this, and we hope that meaningful change can come from it," Huda Beauty wrote Friday.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.