John Boyega Calls Out Jo Malone & Steps Down as Brand's Global Ambassador

John Boyega has decided to step down as the global ambassador for the British cologne company Jo Malone after they replaced him for a campaign in China, but still used his concepts.

The 28-year-old Star Wars actor came up with the concept for his commercial for Jo Malone, which he also directed. The brand reshot the commercial with Chinese actor Liu Haoran without getting John‘s consent.

“I have decided to step down as Jo Malone‘s global ambassador. When I joined the brand as their first male global ambassador last year, I created the short film we used to launch the campaign. It won the Fragrance Foundation Virtual awards 2020 for Best Media Campaign,” John wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Their decision to replace my campaign in China by using my concepts and substituting a local brand ambassador for me, without either my consent or prior notice, was wrong. The film celebrated my personal story– showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family.”

John continued, “While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors, dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone. It’s back to back but I assure you this will be dealt with swiftly. I don’t have time for nonsense. We press on and strong. Stay blessed people.”

Click inside to find out what a rep for Jo Malone said in response…

Before John even spoke out about leaving the brand, Jo Malone London released a statement to apologize for what happened.

“We deeply apologize for what, on our end, was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign,” a rep for the brand told THR. “John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on John’s personal experiences and should not have been replicated.”

“While we immediately took action and removed the local version of the campaign, we recognize that this was painful and that offense was caused,” they continued. “We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward.”

You can watch the original ad in the video below.