Jessica Mulroney has reportedly hired lawyers, image experts and crisis PR teams to help put the backlash from her recent row behind her.
The Canadian stylist, 40, who rose to fame due to her friendship with Meghan Markle, came under fire this month after influencer Sasha Exeter shared a series of unpleasant messages in which she allegedly threatened to sue her.
The bitter controversy that followed led to the Canada-based mother-of-three being fired from her presenting role with CTV and her job with Good Morning America.
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Jessica Mulroney (seen with husband Ben and Meghan Markle in 2016) has reportedly hired lawyers, image experts and crisis PR teams to help put the backlash from her recent row behind her
And now reports claim that Jessica is trying to put the media storm behind her with the help of experts.
‘Jessica has hired a big crisis PR team to deal with all of this backlash against her,’ a source told US Weekly.
‘She’s been talking to lawyers, image experts and crisis PR teams. She has been having a lot of them over to her house to brainstorm and find a way to put this behind her.’
The Canadian stylist, 40, who rose to fame due to her friendship with Meghan Markle, came under fire this month after influencer Sasha Exeter (seen) shared a series of unpleasant messages in which she allegedly threatened to sue her
Phil Pallen, celebrity brand strategist at philpallen.co.uk told FEMAIL: ‘Jessica Mulroney’s brand is in a rocky place.
‘She’s learning that ties to Meghan Markle and Canadian political families aren’t enough to command respect from the public. We all know the saying “actions speak louder than words,” and people can sense that Jessica’s statement on Instagram is a Band-Aid solution for a much deeper problem.
‘Over the years, we’ve seen that Jessica is conscious of emitting a certain persona of luxury. This debacle with Sasha Exeter is proof that anything online can (and, when you’re in the public eye, likely will) leak, and the only way Jessica’s brand can survive this is by being consistent in her public and private brand.
‘Instead of hiring another crisis PR agency, Jessica needs to first hold herself accountable, rethink her actions, and then lead by example. Anti-racist work is just that—work—and a single Instagram statement won’t solve this major brand problem.’
The Duchess of Sussex has cut ties with Jessica Mulroney following the stylist’s race row with an influencer, a source has claimed (seen together in 2016 in Toronto)
Last week a source claimed the Duchess of Sussex has permanently cut ties with Jessica Mulroney after she became embroiled in the race row.
Meghan Markle, 38, first met Jessica while she was filming legal drama Suits in Toronto, and the stylist went on to attend her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 – however Meghan has now reportedly ended their friendship ‘for good’.
An insider told Page Six that their relationship was ‘already on the out’, because Meghan felt that Jessica was ‘making a career out of the friendship’.
Speaking to Page Six, the source said: ‘The white privilege row has really given Meghan the excuse she was waiting for to cut Jess off for good.
‘I don’t know what the tipping point was, but Jess has been on the outs for some time.
‘Their friendship is definitely not what it was. And really, how can you have such a close friendship when one person is basically making a career out of the friendship?’
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed this month that Meghan had been left ‘absolutely mortified’ by Jessica’s ‘tone-deaf’ threats to Sasha, and told close friends that she can ‘no longer be associated with her’.
‘Meghan is absolutely mortified that she’s been dragged into this complete mess. She said Jessica is in no way a racist, but the way she handled the situation (with the fashion influencer) was tone-deaf and heartbreaking,’ a close friend of Meghan’s said.
‘Meghan said friends reflect friends and because of what’s at stake she can no longer be associated with Jessica, at least not in public. She has to do what she has to do in order to preserve her dignity and her own reputation,’ they added.
Meghan Markle (seen with Prince Harry in March), 38, first met Jessica, 40, while filming Suits in Toronto, and the stylist went on to attend her wedding to Harry in 2018
The scandal brings intense embarrassment to Meghan who devoted her brief time as a royal to promoting social good and is a life-long racial equality activist.
The source added that they ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if this marked the ‘beginning of the end of their friendship’.
They also said that Meghan cannot publicly defend Jessica in this case or help salvage her career.
‘It’s not like Meghan can just call up ABC and defend Jessica,’ the source said. ‘There was a reason Meghan waited to so long to make a statement. She wanted to get it right. She said she urged Jessica to do the same thing from the get-go.’
Representatives for Jessica and Meghan have been contacted for comment.
This comes after Jessica had her reality TV show cancelled and was fired as a bridal marketing specialist after ‘threatening’ a black social media influencer in a row over white privilege.
Mulroney admitted that ‘I was wrong’ after clashing with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
Exeter says Mulroney ‘took offense’ to a ‘generic call to action’ that she posted on her Instagram story weeks ago and that the pair then started arguing.
It’s unclear if the entire dispute happened over Instagram and what specifically was said but, eventually, it resulted in Mulroney allegedly threatening Exeter that she would contact companies she had worked with.
Mulroney apologized publicly on one of Exeter’s Instagram post after the went public with their dispute but Exeter claims she then sent her another private message which read: ‘Liable suit. Good luck.’ [sic]
Since then, Mulroney – who is Meghan Markle’s best friend and grew up in a wealthy Jewish family in Canada – has been fired from CTV, which aired the wedding show I Do, Red.
‘Recent conduct by one of our shows’ hosts, Jessica Mulroney, conflicts with our commitment to diversity and equality,’ the network said in a statement said.
Following the row Mulroney returned to Instagram to publicly apologize and say that she took ‘personally’ something she shouldn’t have.
‘I did not intend in any way to jeopardize her livelihood. We had a disagreement and it got out of hand. For that I am sorry,’ she said.
‘The events that have transpired over the last few days have made it clear that I have work to do.
‘I realize more than ever how being a white, privileged woman has put me far ahead of so many, and in particular those in the Black community. And while I can’t change the past, I can do my part to do better in the future.
‘I respect the decision of CTV and have decided to step away from my professional engagements at this time. I’m going to take this time to reflect, learn and focus on my family.
‘I also want to take a moment to clarify that I have no intention of pursuing any legal action. I was wrong, and for that I am truly sorry.
‘I remain more committed than ever to support anti-racism efforts and will do everything in my power to right this wrong.’
Toronto-based Influencer Sasha (left) said she was left ‘paralyzed with fear’ over what Jessica (right) ‘could be saying’ to ruin her reputation after they had a row over racism
Mulroney’s friend and fellow TV presenter Tracy Moore, who is black, said Jessica had ‘used her extreme privilege to potentially bury a Black sister’.
‘I am a friend. I am also a Black woman. The emotional labour often falls on our backs to speak up, push through and fight hard,’ Moore said.
‘Let’s unlearn lashing out at Black women as a legitimate response to feeling called out.’
The cancellation of Mulroney’s show was confirmed in a tweet by CTV on Thursday evening, who said the recent actions of the I Do, Redo host had conflicted with their ‘commitment to diversity and equality’.
‘Bell Media and CTV encourages our entire team including on-air talent to practice respect, inclusivity and allyship as we pledge to work better and more openly to listen to and amplify black voices, and not minimize them,’ the statement began.
‘Because recent conduct by one of our shows hosts, Jessica Mulroney, conflicts with our commitment to diversity and equality, CTV has removed ‘I DO REDO’ from all Bell Media channels and platforms effective immediately.’
Hours later, Canadian department store Hudson’s Bay announced on Instagram that ‘in light of recent events’ they too would be distancing themselves from Mulroney, firing her as their fashion and bridal specialist.
‘Over the past week Hudson’s Bay has committed to doing better,’ the statement read. ‘As we move forward, our leadership associates and ambassadors must reflect our brand inclusivity, equality and respect for all. We will not tolerate anything less.’
Toronto-based influencer Exeter had posted the emotional video, and said Mulroney had threatened her during an argument about ‘speaking up’ against racism that had left her ‘paralyzed in fear’.
After Exeter went public with the dispute, Mulroney posted this comment publicly on her page
But Exeter says she privately received this message from Mulroney after the public apology
Exeter said Mulroney had ‘taken offense to a very generic call to action’ posted online, causing the two women to argue about the topics of white privilege and racism but she never shared the full exchange.
The influencer says the exchange resulted in Mulroney saying: ‘I have also spoken to companies and people about the way you have treated me unfairly.
‘You think your voice matters. Well it only matters if you express it with kindness and without shaming people who are simply trying to learn. Good luck.’
Exeter said the exchanges left her feeling ‘paralyzed in fear,’ wondering what Mulroney was saying to her brand partners or potential brands she might want to work with.
Sharing the video with her 58,000 followers, she explained: ‘Very early on in this, I was very vocal about wanting my peers with an online presence to speak up, stand up and use their voice for good to help combat what’s going on with this race war.’
‘I’m by no means calling Jess a racist, but she is very well aware of her wealth, her perceived power and privilege because of the color of her skin.
‘And that my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. Textbook white privilege really.’
The influencer accused Mulroney of ‘never wanting to stand up and use her voice in the first place’ and ‘not understanding why she needed to’.
Exeter suggested that Mulroney felt ‘sharing that this really wasn’t a problem that she wanted to share on her social channels’, used ‘excuses that she would be bullied by the public and media’, and ‘claimed her show was more important to promote.’
Mulroney was dropped by CTV and Hudson’s Bay after Exeter shared their argument
Revealing the ‘threatening’ message, Exeter said: ‘I’m still shaking my head at this attempt and the audacity she had.
‘Not only is Mulroney very well aware of her white privilege but just like her fellow Canadian Amy Cooper, she spewed out that threat so effortlessly,’ she said. Cooper was the woman who called police on a black birdwatcher in Central Park in a video which was widely shared last month.
Hours after posting her initial video about her argument with Jessica, Sasha claimed to have been sent further messages ‘threatening a law suit to try and shut you up’
Exeter continued: ‘But I think what makes this situation really horrendous is the threat or claim she was going ahead to speak to brands or companies that I potentially haven’t worked with or could possibly work with. That is a threat. That’s a threat to my livelihood.’
‘For her to threaten me? A single mother, a single black mother, during a racial pandemic? Blows my mind, it is absolutely unbelievable.’
Exeter continued to say that she felt Mulroney ‘realized she had screwed up big time’ and ‘that resulted in a lot of back pedaling’.
Meanwhile the influencer said: ‘Amidst all this craziness, I remained paralyzed with fear.
‘I stayed up days and nights wondering what could she be saying to my existing brand partners, potential work, potential livelihood. What could this mean for my career?
‘I spoke to my parents, who were legitimately stressed and worried about how this would affect me if I stood up for myself.’
Exeter said that the ‘only take away is this sh** needs to stop right now….You cannot be posting that you stand in solidarity, while attempting to silence somebody via text.’
Mulroney then returned to Instagram on to post another apology
In a comment posted on the video clip, Mulroney said she was ‘unequivocally sorry’, adding that being Meghan’s ‘closest friend’ has ‘deeply educated’ her about race.
‘As I told you privately, I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and center. It was deeply educational,’ Mulroney responded.
She posted another apology to Exeter Thursday, this time on her own Instagram page, insisting the former athlete had ‘rightfully called me out for not doing enough when it came to engaging in the important and difficult conversation around race and injustice in our society.
Jessica on I Do, Redo
‘I took it personally and that was wrong. I know I need to do better,’ she continued. ‘I want to say from my heart that every more of my apologies to Sasha over the course of the last two weeks privately, and again both publicly and privately today is true.
‘I did not intend in any way to jeopardize her livelihood … for that I am sorry,’ she said.
Last week Mulroney said she was taking a break from social media, after revealing that ‘someone dear to her told her to stand up to racism’.
Mulroney, who lives in Toronto with husband Ben Mulroney, 44, twins John and Brian, 9, and 7-year-old Ivy, took to Instagram to reveal she was ‘taking a week off to educate herself’.
The Canadian stylist has previously slammed ‘racist bullies’ when she appeared to reference the trolling Meghan was suffering.
Mulroney’s reality show, I Do, Redo, premiered on CTV at the end of March and was also released internationally on Netflix.
The series followed Jessica as she helped couples move on from their disastrous weddings by giving them the nuptials they’ve ‘always dreamed of.’
Mulroney also presents a fashion segment for ABC’s Good Morning America. The network has not yet confirmed if it will be taking any disciplinary action against the 40-year-old.