‘BB22’ Star Nicole Franzel Loses Sponsorships For Involvement In Mocking Of Autistic Houseguest Ian Terry
While she may not know it, Nicole Franzel’s purse is being affected outside of the Big Brother house. The former winner was caught on the live feeds this week in a disturbing scenario where she and some of her roommates laughed at Memphis Garrett while he made fun of their autistic co-star Ian Terry. Memphis mocked the way Ian constantly rocks back and forth, something Ian admitted helps ease his anxiety. Former Big Brother alumni spoke out about the houseguests participating in this incident and they — along with many of the live feed’s viewers — are angry.
Fans have been so angry that they are reaching out to employers and sponsors who have worked with anyone involved in the incident, which included Nicole, Memphis, Dani Briones, and Christmas Abbott. Nicole, who considers herself a social media influencer, was the hardest hit, and fans have been documenting their conversations with her sponsors on Twitter. Many of the companies fans have reached out to have admitted they do not have active partnerships with Nicole, but they paid her for a one-time post. That being said, they also added they will not be partnering up with her in the future due to her part in the bullying.
Olay was one of the first companies to respond in a tweet that was shared by a fan.
“Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We no longer have a business relationship with this person and have no plans for future work together. We have zero-tolerance for bullying and we do not support the behavior displayed by this person,” the company wrote.
Other businesses — including 310 Nutrition, Eye Buy Direct, Beta Brand, and Smart Sweets — confirmed they do not sponsor Nicole regularly, but have on previous posts and said they definitely will not moving forward.
One company that seems to be her biggest sponsor, as she posts for them regularly, is Chateau Ste. Michelle. They recently announced they reviewed the clips and have terminated their relationship with her.
“Our connection with Nicole was made prior to her joining the current show. We took immediate action to review once we learned of the situation & have thus decided to end our collaboration now and in the future. We do not tolerate or condone discrimination or bullying of any kind,” a spokesman wrote on Twitter.
Nicole has been one of the most disliked houseguests this summer on Big Brother All-Stars by live feeds viewers. Issues with the star first began when it was rumored she cost players like Dan Gheesling and Derrick Levessaru spots on the current season.
