Jameela Jamil calls Karl Lagerfeld a "ruthless, fat-phobic misogynist" following his death
Following fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld's death Tuesday, people around the world heaped condolences and praise for the legend on social media. "The Good Place" actress Jameela Jamil was not one of those people.
"A ruthless, fat-phobic misogynist shouldn't be posted all over the internet as a saint gone-too-soon. Talented for sure, but not the best person," said Jamil on Twitter Tuesday. She attached an article from Wear Your Voice magazine, which detailed some of the designer's controversial comments over the years.
The long-running creative director of Chanel, Fendi and his own label, Karl Lagerfeld, died earlier this week at the age of 85, the Chanel fashion house of Paris confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday. He was revered as one of the world's most influential designers, with Vogue magazine calling him an "unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment."
However, the German-born Lagerfeld was often a polarizing figure.
He told the magazine Numero he was "fed up with" the #MeToo movement last spring. "If you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model! Join a nunnery, there'll always be a place for you in the convent. They're recruiting even!" the designer continued. In 2012, he also infamously told the metro that Adele is "a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice."
Lagerfeld's statements regarding refugees were also not received well by many. In 2017, he spoke about Germany's then- open-door migration policies on a french talkshow. "I know someone in Germany who took a young Syrian and after four days said: 'The greatest thing Germany invented was the Holocaust,'" said the designer, according to the Guardian.
While many supported Jamil's comments on Twitter, model and Lagerfeld's muse Cara Delevingne took issue with the comment in a series of tweets defending her longtime friend.
"It saddens me deeply that anyone was hurt, that I do not condone. It is not possible to go through life without hurting people," said Delevingne on Twitter Wednesday morning. "He was not a saint, he is a human being like all of us who made mistakes and we should all have the chance to be forgiven for that."
The celebrities continued a discussion on Twitter about the icon, which Jamil later described positively. "This is a really interesting thread between two people with very different views who aren't trying to win, or be rude, just trying to appeal to the other's empathy. About Karl Lagerfeld," Jamil tweeted.
