Estee Lauder executive fired from $10m-a-year job over racist meme claims he feels like he’s ‘under house arrest’ in his six-story NYC townhouse after being made the poster boy for ‘white privilege’

An Estee Lauder executive who was fired after he posted a racist meme has claimed he feels like he’s ‘under house arrest’ in his six-story $9.2million New York City townhouse.

John Demsey, 67, was forced out of the cosmetic company in February 2022 after 31 years amid growing public pressure.

He shared a Sesame Street-themed joke, which contained a racial slur, about coronavirus on his personal Instagram.

It showed Big Bird at the bedside of an unwell Mr. Snuffleupagus and read: ‘My n***a Snuffy done got the ‘rona at a Chingy concert’. 

Demsey, branded the poster boy for ‘white privilege’, has spoken out for the first time and said ‘I made a mistake’. He has maintained he misinterpreted the meme initially shared by rapper Chingy.

An Estee Lauder executive who was fired after he posted a racist meme has claimed he feels like he's 'under house arrest' in his six-story $9.2million New York City townhouse

An Estee Lauder executive who was fired after he posted a racist meme has claimed he feels like he’s ‘under house arrest’ in his six-story $9.2million New York City townhouse

John Demsey, 67, was forced out of the cosmetic company in February 2022 after 31 years amid growing public pressure

John Demsey, 67, was forced out of the cosmetic company in February 2022 after 31 years amid growing public pressure

John Demsey, 67, was forced out of the cosmetic company in February 2022 after 31 years amid growing public pressure

He shared a Sesame Street-themed joke, which contained a racial slur, about coronavirus on his personal Instagram

He shared a Sesame Street-themed joke, which contained a racial slur, about coronavirus on his personal Instagram

He shared a Sesame Street-themed joke, which contained a racial slur, about coronavirus on his personal Instagram

Demsey was first suspended without pay by Estee Lauder chief executive Fabrizio Freda and chairman William Lauder but he was quickly let go from his $10million-a-year job. 

He quit as part of a legal agreement after being branded a racist for sharing the offensive meme.

‘It felt like I’d been the victim of an identity theft,’ Demsey told The New York Post. 

‘I made a mistake and I corrected it. But the life I had before this happened simply does not exist anymore.’

He has spent most of his time in the six-story townhouse in the East Side which he shares with his 14-year-old daughter, Marie-Hélène, eight dogs, and two cats.

His home, which is worth $9.2million, is filled with art, furniture and nearly 600 photographs which include historic prints by Henri Cartier-Bresson and snaps from Demsey’s many MAC campaigns.

Demsey, who is divorced, detailed how he has felt angry and depressed during the past 18 months. 

He has spent time exercising and lost 35 pounds but is mostly stuck in the home he bought in 2018. 

‘I almost feel like I’ve been under house arrest,’ Demsey said. ‘And when I do go out, people act as if they’ve sat shiva for me.’ 

Demsey was first suspended without pay by Estee Lauder chief executive Fabrizio Freda and chairman William Lauder but he was quickly let go from his $10million-a-year job

Demsey was first suspended without pay by Estee Lauder chief executive Fabrizio Freda and chairman William Lauder but he was quickly let go from his $10million-a-year job

Demsey was first suspended without pay by Estee Lauder chief executive Fabrizio Freda and chairman William Lauder but he was quickly let go from his $10million-a-year job

Demsey, branded the poster boy for 'white privilege', has spoken out for the first time and said 'I made a mistake'. He has maintained he misinterpreted the meme

Demsey, branded the poster boy for 'white privilege', has spoken out for the first time and said 'I made a mistake'. He has maintained he misinterpreted the meme

Demsey, branded the poster boy for ‘white privilege’, has spoken out for the first time and said ‘I made a mistake’. He has maintained he misinterpreted the meme

He shared a statement on Instagram where he apologized for sharing the meme

He shared a statement on Instagram where he apologized for sharing the meme

He shared a statement on Instagram where he apologized for sharing the meme 

The former executive group president at the Estée Lauder Companies admitted his actions were ‘stupid and impulsive’ and it came from his excessive use of Instagram during the pandemic.

‘I was posting like 20 or 30 times a day,’ he said. ‘People really responded to it and it just became this sort of a thing.’

He added that the meme appeared on his Instagram feed randomly and insists he read ‘n***a’ as ‘nanna’.

Demsey said: ‘I’ve never used that word in my life,’ in reference to the racial slur. 

But he was deemed as a liability and ‘canceled’. 

‘I was a bit of an impresario,’ he claimed. ‘And those businesses and people that I supported were very successful because that’s the way I was.’

Creative director June Ambrose defended Demsey and said: ‘But just because you’re privileged doesn’t mean you’re racist.

‘Sure, John’s actions were sloppy, but I figured he would be suspended and then Lauder would move past it.’ 

He revealed he was left disappointed by friends who failed to publicly support him after he left Estee Lauder.

Demsey said it was made harder because he considered the Lauders his extended family. 

‘I loved the family, particularly [chairman emeritus] Leonard Lauder because I felt that their values were so contrary to what other companies were about,’ he added.

The former executive group president at the Estée Lauder Companies admitted his actions were 'stupid and impulsive' and it came from his excessive use of Instagram during the pandemic

The former executive group president at the Estée Lauder Companies admitted his actions were 'stupid and impulsive' and it came from his excessive use of Instagram during the pandemic

The former executive group president at the Estée Lauder Companies admitted his actions were ‘stupid and impulsive’ and it came from his excessive use of Instagram during the pandemic

Demsey detailed how he has felt angry and depressed during the past 18 months. He has spent time exercising and lost 35 pounds but is mostly stuck in the home he bought in 2018

Demsey detailed how he has felt angry and depressed during the past 18 months. He has spent time exercising and lost 35 pounds but is mostly stuck in the home he bought in 2018

Demsey detailed how he has felt angry and depressed during the past 18 months. He has spent time exercising and lost 35 pounds but is mostly stuck in the home he bought in 2018

He does not want his legacy to be defined ‘by just three hours’ on social media. 

‘I don’t want to be known as the “canceled guy”,’ he said. 

He plans to make a return to the social scene he was once at the heart of. 

The former executive hosted a birthday party at his home in June for Ambrose. It was attended by actor Zachary Quinto and Bergdorf Goodman exec Linda Fargo.

‘I’m not done — not at all,’ he insisted. ‘I’ve got a lot more in me, a lot more to say. The world is still a very exciting place.’

His father died in June 2022 and he moved his mother, who was battling cancer, to New York from Ohio to look after her. 

Demsey helped take Estee Lauder from a privately-run family business to a publicly-traded giant which was worth $100billion at its peak. 

He joined in the 1991 when the company purchased MAC, a Canadian cosmetics firm. 

He also oversaw smaller brands Too Faced and Smashbox. The ousted executive transformed MAC into a global brand and rose to executive group president in 2015.

Demsey was lauded for bringing black celebrities like singers Mary J. Blige, Saweetie and Rihanna to the MAC brand. Demsey also launched the MAC Viva Glam campaign, which raised $430 million to fight AIDS/HIV.

He is still under a non-complete clause but has take on a senior advisory role with private equity firm L Catterton where he is going to help find new business opportunities.