An H&M ad deemed ‘racist’ made headlines Monday after the retailer featured a young black boy wearing a sweatshirt that read “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” on their U.K. e-commerce site.
Outrage from the general public and numerous celebrity figures led to the company pulling the ad and releasing what many considered to be a lackluster apology through a spokesperson: “We understand that many people are upset about the image. We, who work at H&M, can only agree. We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print.”
The advertising blunder led to “Starboy” singer The Weeknd immediately dropping his partnership with the clothing store.
“I’m deeply offended,” he tweeted the morning the ad surfaced, “and will not be working with H&M anymore.”
woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore… pic.twitter.com/P3023iYzAb
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) January 8, 2018
And the disapproving sentiments were echoed by other celebs like LeBron James, who to took to Instagram with his own edited version of the ad.