Ellen questioned for Wayfair partnership amid conspiracy theory
Ellen DeGeneres has been roped into a conspiracy theory that accuses Wayfair of acting as a front for human trafficking by selling pricey cabinets named after people.
The talk show celebrity was questioned on Twitter for her Wayfair collection that allegedly included a five-figure pillow but really sells for far less. Social media users questioned the talk show host and if she had any involvement with the alleged child trafficking conspiracy theory.
Ellen Degeneres. (Wayfair/Getty Images).
“@TheEllenShow please explain why you’re selling pillows on Wayfair for over 10k with missing children’s names on them? Are you part of #wayfairtrafficking???” one user asked on social media.
Attached to the tweet was a screenshot of a lumbar pillow with a $10,098 price tag, but a search of the product, which does not have a child's name attached to it, resulted in a page on the Wayfair site for the same pillow with a $99 price tag.
WAYFAIR DENIES REDDIT HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING CONSPIRACY THEORY
Neither DeGeneres nor Wayfair responded to FOX Business' requests for comment Monday.
The ED Ellen Degeneres collection with Wayfair launched in 2015 as a joint venture between the talk show host and the CEO of Burch Creative Capital, Christopher Burch, according to the Wayfair website. A social media user posted what appears to be a screengrab of the pillow allegedly posted on DeGeneres' Wayfair collection page.
Allegations claiming Wayfair had a role in human trafficking circulated last week when Reddit users in the "r/conspiracy" subreddit flagged screenshot images of furniture items with high price tags, which are not part of Ellen's collection. Cabinets and armoires appeared to be priced between $12,699.99 and $14,499.99 alongside furniture labeled with people's names like Neriah, Yaritza, Samiya and Alyvia. Users on the forum have said that the names could belong to missing children.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | WAYFAIR INC. | 48.08 | +1.84 | +3.98% |
On Friday, Wayfair denied claims to FOX Business
“There is, of course, no truth to these claims," Susan Frechette, a Wayfair spokeswoman, told FOX Business in an email Friday. "The products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced.”
The company has since removed the product images from its website and said it plans to rename the products.
Wayfair has been in hot water before. The Washington Post revealed last year the online furniture retailer provided beds for ICE detention centers in Texas, which led to a walkout among employees at the company's Boston-based headquarters.
Other high-profile stars that have collections with Wayfair include Martha Stewart, Jessica Simpson and HGTV's Drew and Jonathan Scott of "The Property Brothers."