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Daily Blast Live host Jeff Schroeder recently took to his show to strongly condemn the delay in calling out Balenciaga’s controversial ad campaign featuring children wearing suggestive BDSM and bondage outfits.
While discussing whether stars should speak out against the brand or cut ties altogether, Schroeder blasted the lack of outrage in relation to the situation:
“They should cut ties. Where is the outrage? I am gonna go off for a minute here because where is the outrage? It’s been a week and a half and now we are doing this story."
He added:
“I get it Thanksgiving was happening and all that but they tried to hide behind that right? Maybe this will make it through the new cycle. No its not okay.”
Jeff Schroeder also referenced Adidas getting called out for not cutting ties with Kanye West within 48 hours of the latter’s anti-Semitic controversy. He argued that no one had a similar reaction to Balenciaga’s issue despite little children being involved in the scandal:
“Adidas didn’t cut ties 48 hours after Kanye did his whole thing and they got lambasted for not speaking out against anti-Semitism. This is a week and a half and nobody seems to care that there’s little kids involved in this.”
Speaking to his co-hosts, Jeff Schroeder mentioned that he is looking into the controversy as a father of two children and dubbed that situation as “disgusting and disturbing”:
“I can’t speak for what it’s like to be a black man, I can’t speak for what it’s like to be a Jewish woman but I could of what it’s like to be a father of two young boys... Don’t tell me this slips through the cracks when you are getting a court case that features child p*rnography. It’s disgusting. It’s disturbing.”
The TV personality also recalled how producer Mike Richards stepped down from hosting Jeopardy! after his past misogynistic comments came to light. He also questioned how Balenciaga’s scandal “slipped through the cracks”:
“Jeopardy! flipped their whole production because one person said something but they wanted to be woke and do all that... 10, 20, 30, 40 years of going back to cancel people but this slips through the cracks? It’s outrageous.”
Jeff Schroeder further claimed that the public as well as celebrities are not making enough efforts to hold the brand accountable and said:
“That people aren’t outraged and skipping work with their posters and going to the courthouse or going to Balenciaga and stars aren’t wiping their Instagram and social media with all their Balenciaga gear is disgusting in itself.”
He also called out the Hollywood stars for their response to the situation:
“Don’t you tell me Hollywood how to live my life or you want me canceled or because you produce something. You’re gonna go wrong because Balenciaga pays you a million dollars, two million, five million.”
The former Big Brother star also slammed Kim Kardashian for her delayed response and for saying she is “re-evaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga instead of ending her ties:
“Kim Kardashian, shame on you. You’re a billionaire, you don’t need this company, they need you and for you to take a week and a half to come to a conclusion? Shame on you.”
Jeff Schroeder’s reaction comes after Balenciaga addressed their controversy following a social media outrage and said that they were taking accountability for their actions.
The brand also issued an apology and filed a $25M lawsuit against the production company that filmed the campaign.
Netizens praises Jeff Schroeder over Balenciaga controversy response
Balenciaga continues to face severe online backlash over its recent controversial child ad campaign scandal. Last month, the brand launched its Gift Shop collection and featured it in the campaign.
For the ads, children were seen holding plush bear purses with clothes and surrounding props, suggesting themes of BDSM and bondage. Another ad for the brand’s Spring 2023 Garde-Robe campaign also consisted of an image showing a printout of the 2008 “U.S. vs. Williams” Supreme Court ruling on child p*rnography laws.
In the wake of the controversy, talk-show host Jeff Schroeder called out Hollywood stars and Balenciaga brand ambassador Kim Kardashian for their delayed response to the situation. As the former’s opinion went viral online, he was largely praised for his stance on the controversy:
Amid growing calls to boycott Balenciaga, the brand issued a statement saying it “strongly condemns child abuse” and never intended to present that narrative.
The company also said that it would “lay the groundwork to work with organizations that “specialize in child protection” and aim to end “child abuse and exploitation” and ensure that its “new controls mark a pivot” to prevent a similar situation in the future.
