Meghan Markle’s best friend Jessica Mulroney has been fired from her TV presenting gig just hours after she apologized for a ‘white privilege’ row with a black influencer.
In an emotional video posted on her Instagram page, Sasha Exeter, from Toronto, claimed Jessica, 40, had ‘taken offence to a very generic call to action’ posted online, and the two women argued about the importance of ‘speaking up’.
Sasha said she felt Jessica ‘threatened’ her during the argument, claiming the mother-of-three had written to her: ‘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.’
In a comment posted on the video clip, Jessica said she was ‘unequivocally sorry’, writing: ‘As I told you privately, I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre. It was deeply educational.’
MailOnline has contacted Jessica Mulroney for comment.
Meghan Markle’s, 38, best friend Jessica Mulroney, 40, from Toronto, said being the royal’s ‘closest friend’ has ‘deeply educated’ her about race – as she apologised over a row with a black influencer about white privilege
In the video clip, which was shared with Sasha’s 58,000 followers online earlier today, the influencer 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.’
She said she had made an effort ‘not to call out anyone directly’, but said Jessica, who ‘used to be an acquaintance’, took ‘offence to a very generic call to action’.
Sasha said Jessica went on to ‘lash out’ at her and said the ‘very problematic antics’ escalated until the stylist sent over what Sasha felt was ‘a threat in writing.’
Sasha said: ‘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 colour of her skin.
Toronto-based Influencer Sasha Exeter said she was left ‘paralysed with fear’ and ‘stayed up days and nights’ worrying about what Jessica ‘could be saying to my existing brand partners, potential work, potential livelihood’
Sasha shared the lengthy video online in which she detailed her disagreement with Jessica, accusing the stylist of ‘threatening her livelihood’
‘And that my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. Textbook white privilege really.’
The influencer accused Jessica of ‘never wanting to stand up and use her voice in the first place’ and ‘not understanding why she needed to’.
Sasha suggested that Jessica 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.’
She said she felt that Jessica went on to ‘threaten her livelihood’ by suggesting she would be contacting brands and companies Sasha worked with about the disagreement.
In a comment on the post, Jessica said she was ‘unequivocally sorry’ for what had happened and wrote that she had ‘lived a very public experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre’
Sasha said: ‘I’m still shaking my head at this attempt and the audacity she had.
‘Not only is Jessica very well aware of her white privilege but just like her fellow Canadian Amy Cooper, she spewed out that threat so effortlessly…
‘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.’
Details of the argument have emerged just a week after Jessica announced she would be taking a break from social media
Sasha continued to say that she felt Jessica ‘realised she had screwed up big time’ and ‘that resulted in a lot of back pedalling’.
Meanwhile the influencer said: ‘Amidst all this craziness, I remained paralysed 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.’
The influencer went on to claim she had been sent a private message from Jessica suggesting she would file a lawsuit against her
Sasha 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.’
Jessica went on to comment on the post, apologising for her behaviour, writing: ‘You are right when you say this sh** needs to stop. As leaders, we need to join hands and call out wrongs.
‘I know we have different experiences. And that is something that, even in the course of a heated argument, I need to acknowledge and understand.
‘I am unequivocally sorry for not doing that with you, and for any hurt I caused.’
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’
She added that she had had a ‘very public’ experience with ‘her closest friend’ where race was ‘front and centre’, adding: ‘It was deeply educational. I learned a lot from it.
‘I promise to continue to learn and listen on how I can use my privilege to elevate and support black voices.’
But hours later, after posting an apology, Sasha revealed Jessica had messaged her privately online.
Sharing a video on her Instagram stories, she commented: ‘Here is what happens when you call out somebody with privilege. They publicly make an apology or statement and privately, behind closed doors, they send you a threat of filing a lawsuit against you.
The Canadian stylist has previously slammed ‘racist bullies’ when she appeared to reference the trolling Meghan (seen in 2016)
‘I’m not sure what is going on, because I thought I was very clear yesterday in my video yesterday that I’m not going to be silenced and I’m not going to shut up.
‘I am going to move forward and do what I need to do, to protect myself at this point. But I’m feeling confident in doing so, knowing I have the truth. The unequivocal truth.
‘I don’t know what’s worth here, her using her perceived power to try to threaten my livelihood or using her resources to try to shut me up, but whatever the case is, it needs to stop.’
She went on to share a snap of her Instagram messages, one of which appeared to be from Jessica and read: ‘Liable suit. Good luck.’
Last week Jessica said she was taking a break from social media, after revealing that ‘someone dear to her told her to stand up to racism’.
Jessica, 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.