After issuing an lengthy apology for her past cyber bullying, Chrissy Teigen is now vowing to clear her name against fashion designer Michael Costello’s newest claims.
Chrissy Teigen and Michael Costello continue to clash over his bullying claims, and now, Chrissy is speaking for herself. Although she released an apology on June 14 admitting how sorry she was for attacks against people like Courtney Stodden, Chrissy is now coming forward to defend herself against new claims from the fashion designer. Michael accused Chrissy of bullying and shared alleged DMs from the star in an effort to prove she’d personally attacked him and threatened his career. However, since then, her team has come forward to insist the messages were faked, according to an article by Business Insider.
The back and forth has brought Chrissy out from her self-imposed social media hiatus to release a response of her own. In the tweet attached to her official statement, she said she had “no idea what the f*ck Michael Costello is doing,” and doubled-down on her team’s earlier assertion that the DM’s were fake.
“Chrissy Teigen very clearly and contritely apologized for insensitive public tweets she made around a decade ago,” it states. “She did not acknowledge nor apologize for sending private messages directing or encouraging self harm. Chrissy is completely surprised and disappointed by Michael Costello‘s recent attack, which includes fictional screenshots from 2014 of supposed private messages that Chrissy did not send.”
No idea what the fuck michael costello is doing. He just released a statement where he didn’t at ALL acknowledge how fake the dm’s were, & now claims to have emails that don’t exist. So while he conjures those up (hopefully with someone more talented in fakes this time), here: pic.twitter.com/Y9FjJAY3Xw
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 18, 2021
The statement goes on to acknowledge that she did, in fact, “post a comment on Mr. Costello’s Instagram when he was publicly accused of making a racist remark” in October 2014. However, after he denied the accusation against him, “Chrissy deleted the comment, as it was reported at the time.” Her statement, which can be read in full above, goes on to echoes her team’s earlier insistence that the screenshots sent out by Michael allegedly from Chrissy are ‘fabricated,’ noting the Insider’s investigation that “found technical inconsistencies in the purported DMs that could suggest they are manipulated.”
The statement adds that until recently, Chrissy understood she and Michael to have “a cordial relationship, as they had friendly online interactions for several years.” Obviously, that is no longer the case. “Chrissy has acknowledged her past behavior and the pain she has caused, but she will not stand for anyone spreading false accusations to further demean her name and reputation, the statement says in conclusion. “Chrissy will continue to do the work she needs to do to be the best person she can be. She hopes Michael Costello can do the same. Chrissy has every right to correct the record and defend her name. She is not interested in making Mr. Costello the target of harassment or abuse from anyone claiming to support her. She hopes this can be a time of honest reflection and healing.”
Chrissy then took to Instagram, asking fans not to intervene on her behalf, and issuing one final message to Michael. “Please do NOT bully this man under the masquerade of defending me,” she posted. “I’ve taken it ALL. I’ve heard it all. I just beg for you to know the truth. Michael, you are now causing actual pain to people who are trying to better themselves. Enough. Or this WILL go further. Not here, but an actual court of law. And every dime we win will go to an anti bullying charity focused on turning this shit show into a positive. I wish you peace and healing. I have some places I’ve been attending if you’d like the connects.”
In a statement issued on behalf of Michael sent to HollywoodLife, the designer maintains that the DMs are not fake and that he is owed a personal apology from Chrissy.
“The fact that Chrissy Teigen’s team is desperately trying to prove the DM’s are fake and attempts to discredit Michael Costello, a victim of trauma and bullying by Chrissy Teigen both online and offline, confirms that she remains the same bully, despite her public apology,” the statement reads. “Seven years ago, when Michael Costello presented Chrissy Teigen with evidence directly that the alleged racist comment she saw was fake, she refused to believe him. Now, her team is quick to discredit Michael’s character in an attempt to salvage her image and partnerships negatively impacted by her decade-long problematic behavior. “
His team further states that there is more evidence of Chrissy’s bullying of Michael that has not been released into the public. “Beyond the DM’s and the public comments Chrissy Teigen left on Michael Costello’s Instagram for the world to see, there are emails and documents unreleased to the public which confirms Chrissy Teigen has gone beyond social media to blacklist Michael Costello offline, making him endure over seven years of suffering – mentally and financially.”
“Michael Costello is only one of the many victims who are living with long-lasting, unhealed traumas from Chrissy Teigen’s decade-long bullying behavior,” the statement says in conclusion. “Chrissy Teigen’s team has yet to reach out to us, or any of her other victims.”
Earlier on Friday, Chrissy’s husband John Legend stood by his wife and addressed the ongoing controversy in a response tweet to New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz. “Chrissy apologized for her public tweets, but after her apology, Mr Costello fabricated a DM exchange between them. This exchange was made up, completely fake, never happened,” John claimed.
“Honestly I don’t know why anyone would fake DMs to insert themselves in this narrative, but that’s what happened,” he added in another tweet. “I encourage everyone who breathlessly spread this lie to keep that same energy when they correct the record.”