TikTok may love a lifestyle influencer but Twitter never forgets. This week Ade looks at Chef Way, whose latest oxtail recipe suddenly resulted in an unearthing of the misogynistic comments he allegedly tweeted in the past. He has apologized, but is that enough? Plus, Logan Paul's former pig is back and Steffi looks at why Tuesday was a monumental day for Asian Americans online. So great to see older actors finally getting their flowers. Enjoy your week, Amber |
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Twitter users with lengthy memories are demanding accountability of TikTok food creator Chef Way, after unearthing colorist, misogynistic, and anti-fat tweets by the Houston-based influencer. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, his employer, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, described herself as a "believer in second chances" concerning Waymond Wesley, better known as popular TikTok food creator, Chef Way. Darker-skinned Black women also accused Wesley of targeted harassment against them dating back to 2015. According to circulating screenshots of now-deleted tweets from @WaymoTheGod, Wesley once suggested that "Black bitches make for good punching bags." Wesley did not respond to numerous requests for comment. Responding to the backlash, Wesley appeared to take responsibility for his words in an apology posted across his social media accounts on Monday. He has since limited comments on the posts. "That was a moment in my life where I was sick in more ways than one. Cooking saved me. You have watched a flawed man heal. I will continue to heal and learn. Thanks for being along for the journey," wrote Wesley. Wesley joined the Texas county DA's office in March 2021, but he also has a flourishing career as a food creator on TikTok with over 250,000 followers. Wesley's old tweets resurfaced after the food influencer posted a recipe for oxtail pasta to Twitter, and those familiar with his previous online persona were quick to call out his rebrand and serve up their own cooking because screenshots are forever. In one screenshot of a tweet, Wesley, a lawyer by day, referenced Sandra Bland, a Black woman who was found dead of an apparent suicide in her jail cell three days after a traffic stop arrest in 2015. "If black lives mattered to Sandra Bland, she wouldn't have taken her own life. I'm serious too," he wrote, according to screenshots. Wesley expressed disdain for darker-skinned Black women as he routinely made disparaging remarks. In one screenshot, Wesley cropped a dark-skinned model out of a photo with a light-skinned woman, complaining that she "messed up the pic." |
One Twitter user claimed that she had personally been targeted by him for her skin tone. "You commented on one of my pics on my old account and said my dark skin made me ugly, I was in high school. Called me all types of butterface. You said if I was light-skinned I'd look better. Now you're a chef? That's crazy," wrote @IamHogoe. Despite the public outrage, the DA's office expressed confidence in Wesley's rehabilitation and claimed that he was in ongoing recovery for his issues, including alcoholism, and maintained that he had conducted himself "professionally" since joining the staff. "These posts were inappropriate and offensive and do not reflect my values or those of the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Mr. Wesley has explained that these posts came during a period in which he was struggling with serious personal issues, including alcohol addiction," said Ogg. The fallout of Wesley's past online activity has resulted in two brand partners ending their deals. The timing and the extent of the backlash against Wesley has been celebrated as long-overdue "Twitter justice" by those who had also witnessed an era where profiles grew by peddling hate against Black women. "You can't ruin people's lives and then just rebrand like everything is okay. I hope they don't stop letting you have it. You deserve every bit of it," wrote one user. "Let this be a life lesson to not come online and do foolishness for clout bc one day you'll get what you deserve when you least expect it and it could easily cost you your livelihood," said another. But further concerns have been raised over Wesley's continued employment in Harris County and the DA's decision to support him in light of the revelations. One concerned user wrote: "The things @ChefWay has said about Black women is awful. It would be great if he lost every cooking deal he's gotten but I'm more worried what he's doing to Black women in his position at the D.A.'s office in Harris County where he serves as a prosecutor!"
Until next time,
Ade |
In Social Media Made Me Do It, we try a new trend, product, or tip from the feed. |
Michelle Yeoh told the Golden Globes pianist to shut up on Tuesday night. "Shut up, please," she said in the now-viral clip. "I can beat you up, OK? And that's serious." Fans responded immediately online. "michelle yeoh telling the piano people to 'shut up please, i can beat you up' because she isn't done with her speech yet THAT'S MOTHER MOTHERING," one fan wrote. "She totally has earned this moment!" another said. Tuesday was a big day for Asian Americans. First, Everything Everywhere All at Once, the critically acclaimed film about mother–daughter trauma through the lens of a Chinese American family, won big at the Golden Globes. Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan both won their first Golden Globes after decades of working in the industry, and Stephanie Hsu cried openly during Yeoh's speech. Fans also cried along with Quan during his heartfelt speech. Quan, who started as a child actor in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, had quit acting in 1998 after struggling to find work in the United States. "ke huy quan and michelle yeoh also touched on how their opportunities came in a time in life where they felt like their chances had run out, and it just goes to show how someone having faith in your abilities doesn't have an expiry date," culture writer Lucy Ford tweeted. "legit made me tear up. what a comeback," another wrote. Hsu herself has been the subject of social media outcry after not receiving any nominations for her incredible role in the film, with the New York Times calling her the "dark horse" of awards season on Wednesday. After years of being snubbed by Western media, the cast's emotional reactions during the Golden Globes ceremony quickly became one of the focal points of the show for many Asian Americans. |
Frazer Harrison / WireImage via Getty Images; Kevin Mazur via Getty Images |
At the same time on Tuesday night, after many weeks of episode drops, the finale of viral Korean dating show Single's Inferno was released on Netflix. The show had all but taken over my TikTok feed, with many theories and jokes about how the season would end. On finale night, #SinglesInferno2 trended on Twitter. Netflix revealed that over 60% of its global users have watched Korean language content in 2022, the Hollywood Reporter wrote. Korean American Harvard neuroscience student Nadine Lee has become one of the breakout stars of the season, garnering over 1 million Instagram followers as of Thursday — the largest audience of anyone on the cast. While she didn't end up with anyone in the end, many shared their analyses of what lessons they learned from Lee's journey. "i'm proud that she always tried to be herself, was brave even didn't try to confuse anyone in the first place. hope she meets someone who loves her & support all of her endeavors," one tweeted. "HANBIN SE JEONG NADINE IM GLAD YALL LEFT SINGLE YALL DESERVE TO BE SOMEONE'S FIRST CHOICE," another said. Earlier that day, Coachella also announced its final lineup for 2023, including headliners Blackpink. NBC reported that the K-pop group was the first Asian act to headline the festival, while co-headliner Bad Bunny would be the first Latine act to headline as well. "extremely shocked, honored, shocked once more and excited to announce that we, @blackpinkofficial will be headlining Coachella 2023… somebody pinch me," member Rosé posted on Instagram. There was so much celebration on Tuesday wherever I scrolled, whether it was people sharing their favorite love (romantic and/or self-love) story from Single's Inferno, or reposting old photos from Yeoh in the '90s, celebrating her career in Cantonese dramas. There was celebration for a lauded indie Asian American film and a trashy Asian reality show, and the first K-pop act to hit the main stage of a major Western music festival. It was a big day for us, one I couldn't remember seeing online before. —Steffi |
Welcome to where we discuss online community micro dramas — thoughts, feelings, suggestions for us? Email pleaselikeme@buzzfeed.com |
A pig that Logan Paul rehomed two and a half years ago has recovered from a life-threatening infection after being found abandoned in a California field. The Gentle Barn, a nonprofit animal sanctuary, wrote in a viral TikTok that it found the animal, whose name is Pearl, next to a dead pig. "She's clearly been through so much trauma that we can't begin to imagine, but she's now safe with us," the TikTok caption says. The rescue didn't name Paul, an influencer and YouTuber who rose to fame with his brother Jake, but noted that it knew she'd been acquired for online fame. "From what we've been told, it's believed she was purchased originally from a breeder by an influencer," the caption reads. "People often buy 'mini pigs' or 'teacup pigs' for clout online, believing they will stay small. When they inevitably grow very large and have many unexpected needs, they're sadly discarded." Internet sleuths quickly noted in the comments that Paul had been the original owner. In a February 2020 tweet, he wrote that when he bought Pearl a year earlier, he thought she was a mini pig, but she's not. A spokesperson for the Gentle Barn wrote in a statement to BuzzFeed News that those perpetually small pigs don't actually exist and choosing to adopt one should be a lifelong commitment. Paul said in an email to the Gentle Barn, first obtained by TMZ, that he rehomed the pig to a horse farm in April 2020 before he moved from Encino, California, to Puerto Rico and wasn't aware that she had been rehomed again. The YouTuber said that while Pearl was in his care, he treated her "like the princess she is," but couldn't take her with him on his move. "It's shocking and heartbreaking to hear the state she was found," Paul wrote. "I wanted to reach out personally and say thank you for taking her in." |
Paul wrote that he planned to send a "token of his gratitude" to the sanctuary, but the spokesperson has not yet confirmed if that has been received. The YouTuber faced backlash online for rehoming the pig in the first place. "Logan never ceases to disappoint me," a TikTok commenter wrote. "@LoganPaul that's so heartbreaking that you could actually do something like this," another said. "Whether it was directly Logan Paul or not, influencers need to stop getting pets just for content and then abandoning them when they realize they take a lot of time and care," one person tweeted. The statement from the Gentle Barn said that since coming to the sanctuary, Pearl has had her teeth examined and her "grossly overgrown" hooves trimmed. She had also been treated for a potentially life-threatening infection, among other things. She has been "fully accepted" by the other potbelly pigs at the sanctuary. "We're feeding her organic fruits, veggies and grains to get her healthy and full of energy and giving her sound therapy," the statement said. "Pearl and her new potbelly pig family are now exploring together during the day and sleeping together at night. Her best friend is our pig Barry — they even snuggle together." —Kelsey |
The girlies from the internet culture team share what's been living in our heads. |
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