Yahoo News Chrissy Teigen Says She Fears Donald Trump “Coming After” Her For Outspoken Remarks — Cannes Lions
Chrissy Teigen is worried that Donald Trump may “come after” her if he were to return to the White House.
Speaking at Cannes Lions, the star cited criticism of the former POTUS she has made on social media, referencing her description on X of Trump as a “pussy ass bitch” in 2019. She branded the moment she learned Trump had pushed for its removal from the platform “a career highlight.”
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Teigen said she is ready for a Trump return – “oh beyond,” she added – but is also apprehensive of his attention.
“It’s also kind of scary, because it’s, ‘Oh, he’s aware of me’,” said Teigen at the annual advertising confab. “What could really happen because of that? We obviously know he’s unhinged but could he actually come after you in other ways? It’s a weird feeling.”
The model turned cookbook author and influencer was speaking with her husband John Legend for a live recording of the podcast ‘On with Kara Swisher’ as part of Cannes Lions.
Legend said the prospect of Trump coming after him and his wife was just one reason people had to make sure Trump “didn’t come within a mile of the White House again.”
The couple said they would remain as politically active as ever during the forthcoming election cycle.
“We’re going to be active. We’re going to the White House on the way home from here and we’re going to support President Biden,” Legend said.
Speaking to her politics, Teigen said she recognizes that being outspoken can cause problems for her brand relationships.
She specified “grocery stores, who aren’t used to getting negativity,” adding: “When you’re a name attached to your own thing, anything you say or do can affect the company or take it down for who knows how long. [Grocery] stores aren’t used to the world of celebrity partnerships. Paul Newman [with his salad dressing] isn’t going to get in trouble anymore… but if they’ve been saturated with phone calls because I spoke up about health care or women’s rights… it puts a lot of fear into them.”
Legend said he’s “sure some fans won’t vote for my team on The Voice because they don’t agree with my politics, but I’m fine with it.”
“People know what they’re getting with me. I stand for what I stand for, it’s been consistent for a long time,” he added. Teigen concurred, stating: “They’re going to hate you either way, so you might as well be okay sleeping at night.”
She praised beauty influencers speaking out about the conflict in the Middle East. “They’re at risk of losing everything but they do it,” she said of the likes of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, who recently pledged to donate $1m to humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
“I’ll never go back to X”
Regarding social media, Teigen said Instagram is now the only platform she uses, confirming she will “never go back to X.”
Reflecting on her time on the platform formerly known as Twitter, she said: “My therapist says that online time was almost a euphoric time for me. It was so fun, I was so connected, it was the wild west, and my therapist says I’m still chasing that high.”
Teigen’s self-deprecating humour and willingness to poke fun at herself and other public figures initially saw her become one of Twitter’s most celebrated figures, with a following of 42.4 million. And she received an outpouring of sympathy in 2020 when she documented the loss of her unborn baby with a series of moving photographs from her hospital room.
However, she experienced the other side of such a high profile in 2021 when she faced accusations of cyberbullying and saw some of her relationships with major retail brands come to an end, including Bloomingdales reportedly pulling out of a deal it had in place with the star.
The model apologized for her conduct, referencing her exchange with Stodden and writing on X: “Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bulls–t in front of the entire world. I’m mortified and sad at who I used to be. I was an insecure, attention-seeking troll. I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior.”
Both Teigen and Legend are linked with multiple brands, including Loved01 (skincare), Cravings (cooking and food) and Kismet (food for dogs).
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