Chrissy Teigen is not going to let cancel culture take her without a fight. On Wednesday, June 16th it was reported that Teigen has her eyes on Oprah Winfrey for her first on-camera interview. The former model came out of hiding on Monday to issue another apology for mean tweets she sent in 2011 to Courtney Stodden, Lindsay Lohan, and more. Unfortunately Teigen was immediately knocked back down after Project Runways Michael Costello posted screenshots of old DM’s she sent saying he deserved to “suffer and die” because of racist messages that ended up being fake. The celebrity designer said the messages left him with lingering depression and suicidal thoughts.
Before Costello, Teigen was already going to have a hard time getting back on everyone’s good side, already losing several brand deals, so Oprah really might be her only hope. Sources told the Naughty But Nice podcast that “Chrissy is being advised to go into hiding and lay low” but that’s not her “style,” per DailyMail.
When a celebrity has a public scandal they typically reach out to a public relations professional to clean it all up. While some celebs choose to stay quiet and hope everything dies out, others will attack it head-on. The source told the podcast despite the advice to lay low “that isn’t her style which is why Chrissy is in talks with Oprah to do a Meghan Markle sit-down type interview and tell her truth.” According to the insider, “Every news outlet in the world has contacted Chrissy about getting her first on-camera interview, but Oprah is her first choice. If Oprah can forgive Chrissy, then so can the nation.” The source used Ellen Degeneres as an example of what happens when you stay quiet for too long explaining, “Look what happened to Ellen. She said nothing for far too long and now she has lost her show. Chrissy isn’t going to go down without a fight.”
In shocking screenshots posted by Costello, the celebrity designer can be seen pleading, asking Teigen if she could call him, Teigen responded: “No! I do not have anything to say to you. You will get what’s coming to you.” Costello insisted he “never called anyone the n word,” later adding: “I am suffering from this more than you can imagine. So many people are attacking me over this. It’s a fake story but your comment is adding more fuel to the fire.” The sad messages end with Teigen writing, “Good! Racist people like you deserve to suffer and die. You might as well be dead. Your career is over, just watch.” Despite it all, the insider said Tiegen believes in her communication skills explaining, “Chrissy is a fighter and believes that she is such an excellent communicator that there isn’t a mess she can’t talk her way out of!”
As for how John Legend is feeling about the whole thing? Sources said the singer is “much more cautious than his wife” but will support whatever she decides to do. This week Legend was recorded outside their mansion in Los Angeles with a big smile on his face. When asked by the paparazzi how his wife was doing he responded, “She’s doing great.” Last Thursday Legend attended the premiere of the documentary The Legend of The Underground, which he co-executive produced at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. The artist was noticeably alone.
Ronn Torossian, one of the country’s most prolific public relations professionals agreed that it would be best for her to lay low. “Chrissy Teigen has a volatile history on Twitter, often finding herself the receiving end of hate from those who disagree with her parenting and lifestyle choices. Given her already controversial public persona and years passed, it appears that she never would have apologized if these tweets hadn’t resurfaced, which doesn’t give much weight to her admission of guilt.” Torossian continued, “The best thing Teigen can do right now is taking a step back from the spotlight and be extremely selective about what she chooses to share. These claims won’t easily be forgotten, and the public will only be harder on her and expect better from her moving forward. There are only so many times you can turn to an apology to try and fix your wrongdoings.”