An Indian-Nigerian wedding is at the heart of a classism row that has taken the internet by storm over the past week. The row has led to Glambot director Cole Walliser getting majorly dragged online for his ‘dismissive’ and ‘unkind’ responses to a Nigerian-American woman, Yinka Animashaun, who wrote to him to enquire about the price of renting his Glambot for her wedding.
Instead of giving her a direct answer, Walliser told Animashaun that renting the Glambot is “not cheap”,implying that she could not afford it. When she asked again, still politely, Walliser again refused to provide an exact figure. It kept on going like this until the Glambot director provided a sum and ended the exchange with another rude email.
So first off, what exactly is a Glambot?
A glambot is a high-speed robotic camera that films ultra-slow-motion, super-glossy videos of people — usually celebrities on red carpets. It has been seen at award ceremonies like the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
Who is Yinka Animashaun?
Yinka Animashaun is a Nigerian dog clothing and accessory designer, according to The Tab. She lives in the US. Animashaun married Nitin Sikka, an Indian investor, in a multi-day, multi-cultural celebration at the Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club in Dallas, Texas, in 2019.
Their Indian-Nigerian cross-cultural wedding has now become a major talking point on the internet after the Glambot controversy. Not only has it led to Cole Walliser facing backlash for his response to Animashaun’s query, it has also sparked a broader discussion about how lavish Indian and Nigerian weddings can be.
What did Yinka Animashaun email Cole Walliser in 2019?
Animashaun shared a screen recording of her 2019 email exchange with Walliser on X.
In 2019, she reached out to Walliser to see if she could book the Glambot for her wedding. Instead, she was met with a response implying she could not afford it.
“Are you/the Glambot available for private events such as a wedding?” wrote Animashaun in her first email. “I’d love to have you at mine September 20th and September 22nd. Please let me know your availability and rates!”
How did Walliser reply?
“It is not cheap, if you feel like something like this might be within your budget range, then I am happy to discuss further,” Walliser told Animashaun.
“Yeah it’s something in my budget range :)” replied Animashaun.
“I don’t see how you could be since I didn’t say how much it was and could be between $10,000 and $1,000,000,” Walliser shot back.
“Yeah I just assumed it was very pricey since it’s featured at the Oscars,” Animashaun responded, again inquiring about the steps to book the Glambot.
How did the conversation proceed?
Walliser informed Animashaun that the booking fee would include pay for 15 crew members, along with network setup, gear drop off, rehearsals, insurance, camera rental, lighting rental, permits and more.
He still refused to disclose an exact figure.
Animashaun asked if the Glambot could be booked through him or if there is a website.
“It’s $300,000 I’ll take a 10% deposit to secure the gear and once I have the deposit I can do a contract. Ready to get started?” Walliser wrote, to which Animashaun penned back, “Thanks Cole. I’ll reach out by Monday!”
“If you wanted to know how much it costs you just needed to ask, you don’t need to pretend you are going to book it,” replied Walliser.
Internet slams Walliser
This and his other replies have made him the target of social media backlash, as many accused him of being elitist and even racist.
“Her first question: “let me know your rates!” His last response to a series of emails: “you could have just asked the price you don’t have to pretend to book” Weirdo,” wrote one X user.
“He assumed she couldn’t afford it because she was black , I promise if that pfp was a white blonde woman he wouldn’t have been asking questions,” another said.
“What happened to just saying your rates and letting them decide whether or not they can afford?” one person wondered.
“Imagine fumbling a wedding gig because you prejudged someone’s bank account,” another said.
Cole Walliser apologises
Cole Walliser posted a video on Tuesday where he apologised for his emails.
“The tone in these emails was dismissive and curt and that is not OK,” he said.
“In 2019, I didn’t have a team around me. It was just myself,” he said. “I edited every single video. I answered every single email and I was overwhelmed. But that is not an excuse. Everything lands on me.”
“I think the hardest part about all of this is being labeled racist,” he said. “I’m half Chinese and growing up, issues of identity, race and belonging deeply affected me, and I would never intend to inflict that onto anybody else.
“But I do understand that reading these emails, people could be upset, and assume bias, especially given the frequency at which people of color can experience being dismissed, and so I take responsibility for my words, irregardless of what my intent was,” he added.
