Chrissy Teigen’s team is coming to her rescue and defending her against bullying claims made by clothing designer, Michael Costello.
Teigen has been in the headlines for a hot minute now, but not for anything positive. She publicly apologized to Courtney Stodden in May whom she cyber-bullied in 2011 and 2012.
Teigen posted a lengthy apology to Stodden last month writing, “Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bullshit 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 but that… is nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel. I have worked so hard to give you guys joy and be beloved and the feeling of letting you down is nearly unbearable, truly. These were not my only mistakes and surely won’t be my last as hard as I try but god I will try!!”
Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bullshit 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 but that…
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 12, 2021
In an extended apology published to Medium, Teigen admitted Stodden wasn’t the only person who she has publicly trolled.
She wrote, “I’ve apologized publicly to one person, but there are others — and more than just a few — who I need to say I’m sorry to. I’m in the process of privately reaching out to the people I insulted.”
On Monday, June 14, Costello entered the chat to air his grievances about Teigen targeting him.
The alleged bullying took place in 2014 after the model publicly called out Costello for being ‘racist’ and then worked to hurt him professionally.
The scandal reportedly centered around whether or not Costello using the ‘N word’ slur in response to claims that he posted a Black designer’s work on his Instagram page as if it was his own.
Costello said her public bullying was detrimental to his mental health and well-being.
The designer said, “I wanted to kill myself and still am traumatized, depressed and have thoughts of suicide.” He continued, “I didn’t see the point of living. There was no way I can ever escape from being the target of the powerful elites in Hollywood, who actually do have powers to close doors with a single text.”
However, it appears the tides are turning, because Teigen’s team is claiming Costello FAKED the incriminating DMs!
According to Business Insider, a team representative for Teigen told Insider that the purported Instagram direct messages from her in 2014, posted by Costello on June 14, are fake.
The outlet did some investigative work and found technical inconsistencies in the direct messages, which could suggest they have been manipulated.
Business Insider reports, “several visual identifiers in the images appear to come from various iterations of Instagram and Teigen’s profile throughout the years, which is oftentimes a signature of manipulated imagery. ”
The outlet pointed out several technical inconsistencies such as, the verified checkmark next to Teigen’s name is missing in the images he posted. The verification checkmark was introduced in 2014 and Teigen was verified in 2015.
They also noted the background colors- blue and purple- in the image of the messages was not introduced until 2020 and Teigen would’ve been verified by then.
Furthermore, Teigen’s profile picture in the images is the same one from 2014; however, she changed her profile picture in 2016. So, a screenshot taken after that time would’ve showcased her updated profile picture.
Costello took to his Instagram on Thursday, June 17, and posted a lengthy message to his grid.
He started off by saying, “Dear friends and followers, Thank you so much for those of you who have wished me love, peace, and positivity. I do not have the mental capacity to respond to everyone, but I have read all your messages and I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and concerns about me.”
Costello notes that he’s seen some of his loved ones try and defend him on social media, but asked that they do not continue to do so.
“My heart is at peace. I am not going to address anymore issues in regards to false statements proven to be false, false stories from those who aspire to clout chase, and false allegations made by those close to my bullies in an attempt to smear my name,” he continued.
The former “Project Runway” contestant said there is much that the public does not know, but he has set himself free and will no longer be bullied or blacklisted by the powers that control Hollywood and high fashion.
