Estée Lauder s an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair care products.
As a company that owns a diverse portfolio and known as a global brand, it has to remain neutral, and most importantly, not treating and seeing different people differently.
This is why Estée Lauder said that it had fired John Demsey after the senior executive posted material on Instagram that "caused widespread offense."
The Instagram post in question, was a meme that is based on a spoofed book cover based on Sesame Street. It included the n-word, with some of the letters blocked out with asterisks.
The meme was apparently made to joke about COVID-19.
The company said that Demsey's termination was the "result of his recent Instagram posts, which do not reflect the values of the Estée Lauder Companies,"
Demsey is fired and should leave his job immediately, and without pay.
The firing of the 65-year-old Demsey comes as corporations are aiming to become more diverse, especially in the U.S. where many have promised to hire more Black workers in the wake of the George Floyd murder.
The memo announcing Demsey's firing, was signed by Executive Chairman and the grandson of Estée Lauder founder William P. Lauder, and CEO Fabrizio Freda, who said that Demsey's Instagram post was "damaging to our efforts to drive inclusivity both inside and outside our walls, and do not reflect the judgment we expect of our leaders."
"Inclusion, diversity and equity are core to our company's values and priorities globally," they added.
"Our employees, and especially our senior leaders, are accountable to continue driving our progress and to respect the values of this company for the long term," Estée Lauder said in its statement.
Demsey oversaw brands including Clinique and M.A.C. Cosmetics. He joined Estée Lauder in 1991, and was then active in several AIDS-related charities and organizations.
In a 2019 interview, Demsey said the brand "embraced hip-hop culture," becoming an early beauty brand to do so.
However, he also noted that as one becomes older, it "becomes increasingly challenging to remain connected with the upcoming generation."
Before he was fired, Demsey was Estée Lauder's Executive Group President.
In a more recent post, Demsey apologized for the meme, saying that he was "terribly sorry" and that "the meme is the furthest thing from what I stand for and I should have never reposted it."
He said that he was also "terribly sorry and deeply ashamed," adding that he didn't read the "racist meme" before posting it.
"Not only did I hurt many people whom I respect, the terrible mistake that I made has undermined everything I have been working for since I began my career 31 years ago," he wrote.
And as for Chingy, the rapper that was referred to on the racial meme, realized this when he saw his name trending on social media.
He posted a video a little over one-minute speaking about the situation, and said that he wasn’t offended by the meme, and that he was enjoying his quality time with his baby girl.
"Y’all wanna know what I’m doing, while everybody’s gossiping, talking ’bout I’m trending around the world?” Chingy said, saying that Demsey's post was a "mistake the man made."
"Peace and love to that brother. I didn’t take it no type of way."