Embattled billionaire Elon Musk picked a fight with Paris Hilton on Sunday – days after the celebrity influencer’s company pulled an ad campaign from X amid an uproar over antisemitic content on the app.
Hilton’s 11:11 Media followed several major companies, including IBM and Apple, pulling ad campaigns from X after Musk endorsed a post that pushed an antisemitic trope. The billionaire has since apologized.
While the now-canceled deal between X and 11:11 Media was promoted as a wide-ranging partnership, Musk focused his mockery on Hilton’s recently-launched line of pink cookware, which is being sold at Walmart.
“The ad campaign wasn’t super convincing tbh,” Musk wrote. “I don’t think Paris cooks a lot.”
Despite Musk’s dig, Hilton has cultivated a culinary-focused brand for years — even hosting a Netflix series called “Cooking with Paris” in 2021.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino had touted the advertising deal on her personal account in October, referring to Hilton as the “queen of pop culture, music, business and TV.” The partnership reportedly included a revenue-sharing component.
“@ParisHilton welcome to the @X family, we’re excited to launch an official partnership with you and your next-gen media company 11:11,” Yaccarino wrote at the time. “Together we’re going to create a launchpad for new initiatives in video and live video, live commerce, Spaces, and so much more.”
11:11 Media COO Bruce Gersh told CNN on Nov. 21 that the company had “made the decision to immediately pull the campaign from the platform.” Gersh did not say if the campaign’s suspension was permanent.
11:11 Media could not immediately be reached for comment.
The loss of a high-profile collaboration with Hilton’s brand was yet another setback for X, which has been bleeding advertising revenue for months under Musk’s volatile leadership. X has shifted toward a subscription model to offset the revenue losses, with limited success.
Musk’s jab at Hilton came shortly after a stunning appearance at the New York Times’ DealBook summit. The X owner shocked the audience by telling major advertisers who had pulled money to “go f—k yourselves” – and even singled out Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had earlier appeared at the event and whose company has paused spending.
Yaccarino, the former ad chief at NBCUniversal, has scrambled to mend fences with major advertisers. However, she also raised eyebrows last week by defending Musk’s rant at the DealBook summit.
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