Fashion designer Michael Costello shared the verbal abuse he endured at the hands of model Chrissy Teigen. In a series of Instagram posts, the Project Runway alumnus said the vitriol he received from Teigen ruined his career and almost drove him to suicide. Costello's revelation came as she posted an apology for her prior bullying of other celebrities.
According to the fashion designer, Teigen's abuse stemmed from a misunderstanding that he had used a racial slur. He denied using the word and attempted to reach out to the model – but his efforts were in vain. "[She] apparently formed her own opinion of me based on a photoshopped comment floating around the internet, which has now been proven to be false … and since taken down," Costello said.
He also shared screenshots of his private conversations with Teigen. One message she wrote said: "Racist people like you deserve to suffer and die. You might as well be dead. Your career is over, just watch." Costello continued that the model and her stylist Monica Rose threatened brands associated with him that they would refuse collaborations if they did not cut ties with him.
Costello wrote on June 14 that the bullying from Teigen caused him to develop "a deep, unhealed trauma" he has lived with for the past seven years. He added that with his career in disarray, he "did not see the point of living" and considered suicide. "There was no way I can ever escape from being the target of the powerful elites in Hollywood," Costello added.
Despite the harsh words Costello received, he exhorted his followers not to respond to Teigen with hate. He added that his revelation was his own personal process to move forward. "You do not have to say anything mean or hurtful about them in the comments. I am trying every day to love myself and forget this," he said.
He later told TMZ that he does not wish ill on the model. "We are all works in progress and we deserve the opportunity to prove that we can do better. But progress takes time. We must show through actions that we have changed. After all, action speaks much louder than a 10-minute apology written on a notepad," Costello told the entertainment news website.
Cancel culture in action: Teigen's toxic tweets came back to haunt her
The fashion designer's revelation came as Teigen's earlier posts on Twitter went under the spotlight. Different celebrities such as Courtney Stodden, Lindsay Lohan, Farrah Abraham and Quvenzhane Wallis were on the receiving end of her harsh words. (Related: Delusional Left goes insane over William Shatner using the term "SJW" in a tweet.)
Back in 2011, Teigen posted tweets urging Stodden – who was 16 years old that time – to kill herself. One post aimed at the teen stated that she ought to "go to sleep forever." Stodden remarked that Teigen's tweets were just a small part of the picture, added that the model would send direct messages goading her to commit suicide. Lohan also endured vitriol from Teigen. An insensitive January 2011 tweet by Teigen said the Mean Girls star "adds a few more slits to her wrists" whenever she sees fellow actress Emma Stone. (Related: Accidentally pro-life: While grieving 'miscarriage,' Chrissy Teigen professes love for unborn child.)
The model's tweets from 2013 also followed the same coarse language. She dubbed Teen Mom star Abraham, then 21 years old, as a prostitute. Even Wallis – who was nine years old that time – was not spared from Teigen's harsh remarks. She called the Beasts of the Southern Wild star as "cocky" in a tweet.
Teigen wrote an apology letter on June 14 as the old tweets surfaced. She noted in the letter published in Medium: "Not a day … [or] a single moment has passed where I haven't felt the crushing weight of regret for the things I've said in the past. I was a troll, full stop. And I am so sorry." The model continued: "There is simply no excuse for my past horrible tweets. My targets didn't deserve them. No one does."
Teigen mentioned in her letter that she plans to personally reach out to the other celebrities she lambasted on Twitter. She started by apologizing to Stodden in May of this year, but Stodden questioned if Teigen's apology was indeed sincere.
Meanwhile, Abraham remarked that Teigen is "an unfit person in society" and that she needs professional help following her "highly disturbing" tweets from the past. She told Fox News: "It's really just a pathetic statement after someone has gone to therapy publicly for sex shaming, working through my own depression, bereavement and vulnerabilities at that time."
The Teen Mom star continued that she has yet to receive any apology from the model. "There's a lot of developmental things she's really got to work through if [she] can't apologize for things and be a responsible adult," Abraham said.
Head over to CelebrityReputation.com to read more stories about Chrissy Teigen bullying other celebrities on social media.
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