“F-ck Gucci. I’m wearing Tom Ford,” 50 Cent, 43, said on Instagram on March 19, after sharing the viral Tom Ford “quote” that set the Internet on fire. In the meme, the designer appears to trash First Lady Melania Trump, 48. “I have no interest in dressing a glorified escort who steals speeches and has bad taste in men,” the quote attributed to Tom reads. Except – cue President Donald Trump – this whole story is fake news. “This is an absolutely fabricated and completely fake quote attributed to Mr. Ford that has somehow gone viral. Mr. Ford did not make this statement; it is completely false,” a spokeswoman for Tom Ford tells HollywoodLife.com.
The tweet went viral after the “quote” was shared by Twitter user @fras99, according to Vox. (@fras99 has since deleted it.) Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time the quote has been falsely attributed to Tom Ford, as a Twitter user posted a doctored Daily Mail headline in 2016, less than a month after Trump was elected president. While Tom has refused to dress Melania in the past, it’s not for the reasons presented in this falsely attributed quote.
“She’s not necessarily my image,” Tom (a Democrat) said during a 2016 episode of The View, according to the Washington Post. This wasn’t shady on his part, as Tom said he wouldn’t dress Hilary Clinton had she defeated Trump in the general election. He suggested that his clothes are too pricey for public servants who want to appear relatable to the American public. “Even had Hillary won, she shouldn’t be wearing my clothes. They’re too expensive.” So, while Tom has said he wouldn’t dress Melania, it was a non-partisan reason.
https://twitter.com/YeshaCallahan/status/1108005481245638658
Of course, this didn’t stop some Trump supporters demanding a boycott over this falsely attributed quote. “BEING MEAN SPIRITED IS NOT A GOOD LOOK. I AM RETURNING MY TOM FORD PRODUCTS. THANKS. BYE FELICIA,” one Twitter user said. “Hey Tom Ford, you have the gall to talk down on Melania Trump? Seriously?” another asked. However, a lot of tweets were making fun of Tom Ford boycott. “How can you boycott Tom Ford if you can’t even afford it,” @ZeinaZeynab tweeted.
Knowing 50 Cent, he likely didn’t care that the tweet was fake, as he’s a notorious troll online. As for the “f*ck Gucci” part of his message, that is likely referencing the boycott T.I., Spike Lee and others have orchestrated in response to the “blackface” sweater the fashion line released in February. Sadly, that offensive article of clothing was NOT “fake news,” but very, very real.