Following blockbuster news yesterday (April 5, 2019) that Beyoncé has signed a strategic partnership with Adidas, ESPN reporter Nick DePaula followed up with a story that the entertainer had considered working with Reebok but was turned off by the brand’s team, whose lack of diversity caused her to walk out of a meeting as a result.
This afternoon, Reebok issued an official statement, shutting down the rumor. A Reebok spokesperson wrote, “The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false. Our discussions with Beyoncé and her team continued for several months after our initial meeting. We are disappointed that false information is being reported as fact.”
On an ESPN segment this morning, DePaula said he was told of a meeting at which Beyoncé was disappointed by Reebok’s team because none of them looked like her. DePaula explained, “And she had a meeting with Reebok and they put together a presentation and everything, potential products, how this could all look, and she stepped back and said, ‘Is this the team that will be working on my product?’ And somebody said, ‘Yes,’ and she said, ‘Nobody in this room reflects my background, my skin color and where I’m from and what I want to do.’ And she took a step back and left. And then it did not come to terms.”
Check out Adidas’ official announcement below.
