‘She Said She Wasn’t Black, Not Us’: Amber Rose Claims She’s Losing Sleep and Brand Deals Over Not Claiming Her Blackness
Model Amber Rose has rebuilt her brand several times in the last two decades.
After breaking out on the scene as Kanye West’s high fashion girlfriend, it was later revealed that the sleek model-esque blond buzz-cut woman on his arm used to be a go-go dancer in Philadelphia. But some of her actions since her association with the then Roc-a-Fella artist have changed how the world views her.
Rose then made an image change when she became a mom and wife in 2013 and then in 2015 organized the sex-positive Los Angeles branch of the rape culture protest “SlutWalk,” even protesting President Donald Trump’s Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court selection.
Now she has re-invented herself at the urging of her ex-husband Wiz Khalifa as a MAGA queen ultra-conservative Republican and says that she has been getting flak from both sides of the aisle, as she is stuck in the middle.
During a sit-down with Candace Owens on her self-titled podcast, which debuted on Saturday, July 27, the mom of two talked about not only her endorsement of Trump, but how it has impacted her business as an influencer in the hip-hop and entertainment space.
According to Rose, she could not make money during COVID-19 and has since tried to link her fledging crypto coin venture to the MAGA fanbase.
“I posted that bikini pic like 3 weeks ago. I have since like archives page but I dropped the coin a crypto coin called ‘Muva’ which is great,” she said. “I was telling my team, ‘Like guys… Iggy Azalea’s coin was doing really good and she has her hands on her a— and she’s like spreading her a—cheeks… and their like ‘You got to at least do a bikini picture with maybe like the ‘Make America Great [Again]’ hat and you want to make money.’”
At the suggestion of her team, Rose did the promotional stunt near her backyard pool but it only ticked off the new conservative population that she has been schmoozing up to.
“I don’t want to get beat up by the Republicans, I’m already getting beat up enough by the left,” she said.
“You’re in political purgatory,” Owens said. “When you leave, you’re like, ‘I’ve escaped.’ When you’ve arrived you’re like, ‘Whoa, whoa.’”
The former video vixen says the “left” has not given her any grace after revealing her recently-made public political stance.
She expressed frustration at losing sponsorship deals, saying, “I’ve tortured myself for 15 years. … I’ve begged and I’ve cried and pleaded please reach for the stars even if go talk to like maybe more conservative brands. See if they’ll give me a chance. They wouldn’t give me a chance you know, because they just didn’t know me.”
With Rose’s heavy endorsement of Trump, including a public photo with the former president and his wife Melania Trump, many companies favoring the GOP know her. Many even have suggested that the former president has compensated her for showing her public support.
But the spaces that she once got money in began to ostracize her. Owens contends that’s by design.
“The entire industry is built around everyone having the same perspective if you want to sign the deals,” Owens explained, adding she knows there is pressure on influencers to avoid discussing serious or controversial issues, especially if they lean conservative, to maintain their sponsorships.
Rose’s endorsement of Trump has not only impacted her financially but also stirred significant controversy regarding her racial identity.
During her conversation with Owens, she touched on the sensitive issue of her Blackness being questioned due to her political stance. She sarcastically remarked, “I’m no longer Black.”
As if to co-sign, Owens interrupted, “They will take that away. I’m not? I’m Black my whole life but they were instantly like, ‘she’s not Black.’”
Owens added, “They take that away [the Black card] and denigrate you,” highlighting the broader societal tendency to equate political views with racial authenticity.
Brown Girl Grinding posted a clip of the sit-down, and fans were quick to share their thoughts about Rose’s money problems and losing her endorsements.
“These two can kick rocks both of them are [clown emoji],” someone wrote.
Another person wrote, “She said she wasn’t black not us,” as a keen observer called her out for double-talking, “I’m confused, because she was on college hill saying she wasn’t black.”
The “GYHO” rapper notoriously said she was not Black on the BET show, a declaration that resulted in a fight with the Puerto Rican princess, rapper Joseline Hernandez.
Rose took to social media and clarified herself on a clip of the altercation posted on Hollywood Unlocked.
“People gotta stop saying ‘I don’t wanna be Black’ MY MOM IS BLACK! I just identify as biracial because I grew up in a predominantly black city where people told me that’s how I should identify,” she wrote.
Adding, “So in that 5 second clip that you saw me say I’m not a black woman I was saying that out of respect for what black women have taught me growing up in South Philly. Only because I don’t present as a monoracial black woman NOT that I identify with just my white side. I’m both and that’s just what it is.”
Another BGG commentator who claimed brands paid her to market to Black and brown people added, “Girl yea why wud ppl pay you when it can go to a women who is black and identifies as such…. losing money huhhh yuh don’t sleep as comfortable huhhh.”
A fourth comment asked, “Did she not see what happened to Chrisette Michele? She doesn’t have the celebrity to come out so boldly with political views, especially when they are unpopular.”
Michele expressed regret years after she was seemingly canceled after singing at Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
#ChrisetteMichele says she regrets performing at #Trump ‘s inauguration.
Thoughts? #chrisettemichele #breakfastclub pic.twitter.com/hgvLUkrLVc
— Atlanta Black Star (@ATLBlackStar) November 2, 2017
Getting back to Rose, one more person blasted, “She was in agony for 15 years wanting to come out as a Republican and say all the stuff she’s saying now, but building a brand and wealth off the black culture and feminist culture and now she’s a maga supporter…. Note to self, nothing about Amber is real, and apparently she thinks we’re slow… and we’re just not!!!”
Rose has previously stated that West introduced the world to another version of herself, who is “conservative actually. I’ve always been conservative since I was young and I think coming out on the scene. I was kind of thrown into this sex spot type of girl.”
While she did not specify which brands had withdrawn their support, the consequences of her public stance were evident.
The Biden-Harris campaign’s senior spokesperson, Sarafina Chitika, criticized the 40-year-old’s statements at the Republican National Convention last month, where she spread misinformation.
Chitika underscored the discrepancy between Rose’s claims and the reality for Black communities under Trump’s administration, further complicating her public image.
“Amber Rose is right about one thing: research is important,” Chitika said. “But for Black communities, it’s the opposite story: Black unemployment, Black uninsured rates, and crime rates skyrocketed under Trump’s leadership. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to line the pockets of millionaires like Rose at the expense of actual Black communities.”
The loss of sponsorship deals is a significant blow for Rose, who has built a career leveraging her influence and public persona.
Despite the backlash, Rose emphasized her commitment to her newfound political identity, even as it continues to alienate her from mainstream Hollywood and its associated business opportunities.