A bizarre social media spat has proven costly for Canadian fashion maven Jessica Mulroney. Bell Media pulled Jessica Mulroney’s reality series “I Do, Redo” off the air Thursday after the celebrity stylist was accused by Toronto lifestyle influencer Sasha Exeter of threatening her career and trying to “silence a Black woman” during the anti-Black racism movement.
Exeter said in an Instagram video Wednesday that the dispute started when she put out a call on social media for her peers to use their platform to support Black voices. While she wasn’t named in the Tweet, Mulroney apparently believed the post was referring to her because she had not been speaking out on racial issues. Exeter said Mulroney threatened her in writing and lashed out at her several times afterwards, including a post that suggested she was going to complain to some of Exeter’s clients.
“That’s a threat to my livelihood — and for her to threaten me, a single mom, a single Black mom, during a racial pandemic blows my mind,” said Exeter, who used to be an acquaintance of Mulroney’s. “It’s absolutely unbelievable.”
Things moved quickly from there. CTV issued a statement that it had removed Mulroney’s show, which recently launched its first season, from all of its platforms. A descendant of shoe magnate Morton Brownstein of the Browns Shoes empire, she has been a marketing consultant for the Toronto outpost of Kleinfeld Bridal and appeared regularly on City TV’s “Cityline.” Cityline says it will no longer use Mulroney as a guest. And ABC’s Good Morning America says it will also stop employing Mulroney as a fashion commentator. In addition, Hudson’s Bay said she’ll no longer represent the company or Kleinfeld Canada as a fashion and bridal specialist. “I Do, Redo” was also set to air on Netflix. So far there is no work on whether that arrangement will go forward.
In a post on her Instagram story Thursday, Mulroney said she respected CTV’s decision and has decided to step away from her professional engagements at this time to reflect, learn and focus on her family.
“The events that have transpired over the last few days have made it clear that I have work to do,” she said in a written statement. “I realize more than ever how being a white, privileged woman has put me far ahead of so many, and in particular those in the Black community. And while I can’t change the past, I can do my part to do better in the future.”
Mulroney added that she plans to step “back from social media in the coming days” to reflect and give her “microphone to Black voices” by having them take over her account. “I remain more committed than ever to support anti-racism efforts and will do everything in my power to right this wrong,” Mulroney wrote.
For her part, Exeter said the issue is privilege not racism. “I am by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this: She is very well aware of her wealth, her perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin,” Exeter said in an Instagram post ,”And that, my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. Textbook white privilege, really, in my personal opinion.”
Mulroney is Married to Ben Mulroney, a long time CTV host and son of the former Prime Minister. She and her husband were invited to the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and their children participated in the wedding party.
of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Very distressing that a verbal spat between two colleagues can ruin a persons career and life! This Black woman accused Mulroney of trying to ruin her livelihood with her ” White Privilege” however she has done the very thing she accused Jessica of trying to do to her! So much for White privilege; by the way Jessica is a Jew, and most of my ” Jewish” friends do not like to be referred to as ” White”! Just sayin’ ! How on earth did CTV, the Bay and all the other companies that Jessica works for find out about this “spat”? Seems there is something else going on here we are not privy to! Also why did she print some of the tweets, and not the one with the threat? I hope that Mrs Mulroney can recover from this, and I hope that Ms Exeter playing a victim is perfectly obvious to everyone who reads this! This is NOT about race!