“wtf were they thinking”: Rosie O’Donnell and more celebrities react to Converse ad controversy

Global footwear brand Nike’s subsidiary Converse is facing backlash after its latest ad surfaced online.

A viral image promoting the Chuck 70 X collection showed K-pop artist Karina wearing black high-top sneakers and a white skirt that people are comparing to a KKK hood because the lighting created a pointed triangular shape. The photo also showed her holding another pair from the same collection. However, the angle made it look like the dangling feet of what appeared to be a hanging victim.

Critics have described the ad as “racist”. Comedian, actress, and TV host Rosie O’Donnell wrote underneath @truth_hasno_party’s Threads post calling out the ad.

“wtf were they thinking,” O’Donnell, 64, commented.

Another public figure, Yvette Nicole Brown, also responded to the ad on Threads. She wrote:

“That’s a lynching, yes?”

The actress, producer, writer, and host, best known for starring in the sitcom Community, further wrote in the comment section:

“AND a Klan robe. D**n @converse [broken heart emoji].”

In a follow-up post, Brown alleged without evidence:

"So the whole time they had ALL the pics on the right and they chose to darken the exposure -- to emphasize the Klan hood -- and crop her completely out -- to emphasize the lynching motif -- in the image that became the ad? And folks want US to believe a 'Klan Lynching' was NOT what they were going for? Mmkay. Sure. Y'all gon' learn to stop playing in our face."

Actress, singer, and activist Alyssa Milano also shared her reaction to the ad now sparking controversy.

“A lynching image. Getting rid of all my Converse today,” Milano wrote.

All these are personal characterizations by the celebrities and post creators and do not represent any legal or factual finding by the publication.

Another ad, part of the Converse × Palmes collection and displaying two Jack Purcell PDMs, shows a boy sitting on a ladder and trying to grab a pair of the tennis shoes hanging from a tree branch as another boy looks on. Social media users have also compared the imagery of a tree, ladder, and hanging to “lynching” and called it “offensive” and “racist”, among other things.

Converse has apologized and pulled the ad following backlash

Converse President and CEO Aaron Cain issued a clarification in the wake of the controversy and criticism. In a memo to employees obtained by Bloomberg News, he wrote:

“The images should not have been used, and we began removing them from all channels as soon as the concern was raised. The leadership team and I are taking a hard look at our internal review process and the critical lens we apply to our work.”

Cain further apologized for the ad.

“We will learn from this, make needed changes, and do better,” he added.

Meanwhile, the controversial ad was pulled from all platforms.

Before that, on September 18, a company spokesperson told Footwear News, affiliated with Women’s Wear Daily, that they were “sorry” for the ad.

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“We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened and we will do better,” the statement added.

Karina of Aespa fame became the global ambassador of Converse in June and has ever since been the face of the campaign ‘Stars Align With KARINA’, which promoted Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush collections. The former was launched worldwide on August 27.

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