By Tasnim Oyshi
Staff Writer
On Jan. 27, Cole Walliser, otherwise known as the “Glambot Guy” on the internet, posted a two-minute apology video on TikTok after his controversial email exchange with a potential client from 2019 went viral. Netizens have not been responding to the apology positively, however.
Walliser has been directing the Glambot at red carpets for several years now. With the innovative high speed, slow motion technology of the Glambot machine and the clips of celebrities like Ariana Grande and Madison Beer garnering millions of views, Walliser has become a staple at red carpet events that viewers look forward to.
The controversy began on Jan. 18 when Yinka Animashaun made a post on X that showed a screen recording of messages shared between the two in which she asked Walliser about the price and possibility to have the Glambot machine at her wedding.
In his response, Walliser explained what the Glambot was and said, “It is not cheap, if you feel like something like this might be within your budget range, then I am happy to discuss further.”
When Animashaun answered that it would be within her budget, Walliser said, “Copy. 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.”
After going back and forth, Walliser revealed the price to be $300,000 and a 10% deposit for him. When Animashaun thanked him and stated that she would reach out by Monday, Walliser responded, “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.”
The post has about 6 million views, while another post made by Pop Crave garnered about 55 million views. Many have been upset with Walliser since and have been calling him unprofessional.
In an exclusive interview with People, Animashaun went into detail about how shocking Walliser’s messages were. “As a Black woman I am no stranger to people making assumptions about who I am or what I am capable of, but I think his responses to me were exceptionally unprofessional and unkind,” she said.
In his TikTok, Walliser explained how at the time, he was doing all the work for the Glambot alone, and that he was overwhelmed. “But that is not an excuse,” he said. “Everything lands on me.”
He shared how being called “racist” over the ordeal was particularly hard for him, especially as a half-Chinese American who has had experiences with racial issues growing up. “I do understand that reading these emails, people could be upset and assume bias, especially given the frequency at which people of colour experience being dismissed,” he said.
Walliser apologized and also addressed people feeling “dismissed” by him on red carpets and how that was never his intention. He continued, “I like to think that I have grown a lot in the past seven years, and I always want to treat everybody with the respect that they deserve. But clearly, more could be done, and I can do better.”
Comments on the video are mixed, with people accepting his apology and defending him while others are upset that he didn’t apologize directly to Animashaun. “Oh, and if you’re wondering how Yinka feels about Cole’s statement...she’s not really having it,” an article in Cosmopolitan stated. “After he posted his apology, she took to X to write, ‘Hm. I think it’s interesting to offer an ‘apology’ to the public but not the person you disrespected but that’s just me!’”
Walliser was involved in another controversy a few weeks prior to this with Jennifer Lopez. In the clip of the actress and singer getting her Glambot video taken, she was shown to be not speaking to Walliser and netizens called her out for being “rude.” Walliser posted a TikTok later on in which he defended Lopez and stated that he didn’t see her actions as disrespectful with how fast red carpets work.
This scandal has come at an unfortunate time for Walliser with award show season, when he seems to be getting his most popular work, currently going on. While the Glambot machine was at the Grammys on Feb. 1, Walliser was not. There have not been any further updates to this situation.
