Overview
- A widely shared clip from an Instagram/TikTok live shows Mustafa and boyfriend Louis Russell briefly laugh, then hang up after an unidentified caller used the N-word about Carthen.
- Following initial explanations, Mustafa issued a fuller apology on Wednesday, calling her laughter a nervous, inappropriate reaction and pledging a personal donation to the NAACP.
- Russell posted his own apology, saying they were caught off guard, that they ended the call immediately, and noting his perspective as a Black man who understands the harm of such language.
- Carthen condemned the slur, urged followers to turn outrage into action, and shared donation links for the NAACP, UNCF, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund while pledging her own donation.
- Several former Islanders, including Chelley Bissainthe, Iris Kendall, and Hannah Fields, criticized the moment and promoted resources, and no formal action by networks was reported in the coverage.