Yahoo Finance Michael Costello slams Chrissy Teigen and John Legend after singer calls his DMs 'completely fake'
UPDATE 7:55 p.m. ET: Costello is responding for what he says is the final time, writing in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday evening, "The fact that Chrissy Teigen and her crisis team are working so hard, so strategically to come out against the DM's she sent me, and to downplay the comments she publicly posted on my Instagram, only proves that she is the same bully she always has been, despite her fake apology to the public."
He also says he has "receipts of emails and confirmations" to prove his claims that Teigen went out of her way to "close doors to my career," and apologizes to "everyone else involved in this messy situation" for "all the stress and trauma it has caused."
UPDATE 7:20 p.m. ET: Teigen posted a new statement written on her behalf to Instagram late Friday afternoon responding to the latest comments from Costello's team.
After noting that Teigen had apologized for old "insensitive public tweets" but not for "sending private messages directing or encouraging self-harm," the statement read, in part, "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."
Alongside the statement, Teigen wrote a lengthy comment that begins, "No idea what the f--- 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."
She added, "Enough. Or this WILL go further. Not here, but [in] an actual court of law."
EW has reached out to Costello's reps for comment on Teigen's latest statements.
EARLIER: Project Runway alum Michael Costello's team is firing back at Chrissy Teigen after her reps and her husband, John Legend, claimed the fashion designer fabricated Instagram messages that purported to show the former model bullying him.
"The fact that Chrissy Teigen's team is desperately trying to prove the DMs are fake and attempting 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," Costello's team said in a statement to EW on Friday.
Later that day, Legend waded into the ongoing controversy, tweeting, "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. Receipts below." The singer included a link to a Business Insider story published on Thursday in which a member of Teigen's team claimed that the Instagram messages Costello shared are phony. The article went on to detail what appeared to be technical inconsistencies with the screenshots Costello had made public.
"Honestly I don't know why anyone would fake DMs to insert themselves in this narrative, but that's what happened," Legend added.
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. Receipts below: https://t.co/Toh2rjTXNS
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 18, 2021
"John has been complicit by observing Chrissy bullying many other people on- and offline for years. We are not at all surprised by his biased support of his wife," the designer's reps told EW in response to Legend's tweet. "Michael hasn't inserted himself into their lives. It's quite the opposite, as it's Chrissy who inserts herself into other people's lives."
On Monday, Teigen shared a lengthy Medium post in which she apologized for her "past horrible tweets," and asked to be allowed to "own past mistakes and be given the opportunity to seek self-improvement and change."
Costello wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday that he is still "traumatized" and "depressed" and has had "thoughts of suicide" after interactions with Teigen in 2014 during which she accused him of racism. (The story later took a detour involving British singer Leona Lewis.)
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Charley Gallay/Getty Images Michael Costello and Chrissy Teigen
When Costello detailed his account of what happened between him and Teigen, he wrote that he was coming to terms with the "darkest hour" of his life by sharing his story. "But today, I am choosing to speak my truth," he continued in an Instagram post. "I wish no harm on anyone and don't wanna go back-and-forth fighting with anyone. I just want people to realize that I, too, am human and this was the most inhuman treatment to ever be endured by someone who has seen their decades of hard work, years of building a brand, crumble from one comment."
In her Medium post on Monday, Teigen wrote, "The truth is, I'm no longer the person who wrote those horrible things. I grew up, got therapy, got married, had kids, got more therapy, experienced loss and pain, got more therapy, and experienced more life. AND GOT MORE THERAPY."
EW has reached out to Teigen's representatives for comment.
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