Popular YouTube beauty blogger Laura Lee was dropped by all of her major sponsors after some racist tweets from 2012 surfaced online. According to the Blast, beauty retail giant Ulta dropped Lee’s makeup line, Laura Lee Los Angeles, stating that they “value equality and inclusivity in all that we do.”
Ulta, who had not yet set a date for the now-canceled release, had said earlier this week it was delaying the launch of her collection pending a review and the company was “disappointed to learn the nature of the tweets that have recently surfaced.”
Another Lee collaborator, Boxycharm, was the first to speak out on Lee’s resurfaced tweet, where she said: “Tip for all black people if you pull ur pants up you can run from the police faster.. #yourwelcome.” The subscription service’s CEO posted a video on Facebook condemning Lee’s words and cutting ties with her.
Diff Eyewear, a sunglasses company, released a limited edition collection with Lee earlier this summer. As of Monday, Lee’s products were no longer available on its website and the company was responding to customer complaints with: “We’ve taken this issue very seriously and do not support the comments that were made. At this time, our Peachy frames are unavailable for purchase. Thank you for your understanding.”
Morphe Brushes, who had a years-long sponsorship deal with Laura, scrubbed her from the website’s “Extended Fam” section, removed her favorites collection and have listed her products as sold out Wednesday morning.
The backlash against the influencer began earlier this month after a racist tweet she made in 2012 was dug up amid a feud with Jeffree Star‘s fanbase. Lee made multiple attempts to apologize. After temporarily deactivating her account, Laura tweeted a lengthy apology and followed up with a video post the next week.
However, it seems Lee’s former fans aren’t accepting her apology – her YouTube channel has lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers since the tweet came to light. Check out some of the surfaced tweets along with her lengthy apology below:
