Photo: Getty Images
An Estée Lauder executive lost his job after posting an offensive pandemic-related meme to his Instagram account.
John Demsey was asked to leave his senior executive role at the beauty company after making the post that used a racial slur. The company said Monday (February 28) that Demsey was asked to leave as "result of his recent Instagram posts, which do not reflect the values of Estée Lauder Companies," and added that the social media post caused "widespread offense."
Demsey had been with the company for 31 years and will be leaving "this week," Estée Lauder confirmed, according to CNN. No replacement has been announced yet.
The meme Demsey uploaded to his Instagram account mocked two Sesame Street characters, Big Bird and Snuffleupagus using the N-word and referenced a Chingy concert. Demsey took the post down and later issued an apology stating that he was "terribly sorry and deeply ashamed."
The former exec claimed he didn't read it before uploading the photo to his timeline.
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