Ladies of London's Juliet Angus Slams Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard's Company Over 'Collab' Request
Ladies of London star Juliet Angus is airing her grievances with baby product line Hello Bello, which was founded by Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.
Angus, 43, slammed the plant-based company for its marketing tactics in a series of Instagram Story slides that expressed frustration with its requests to have her promote their vitamins on her social media in exchange for $44 worth of free products.
The former Bravo star shared several screenshots of email exchanges with Hello Bello, starting with a message that offered a “collab opportunity” and told her she could choose four different vitamins “to be gifted” if she wanted to join their marketing campaign.
The email did not come directly from the married actors — though Angus noted she is a fan of both — but from a representative on the Hello Bello team.
“I Am So Over This!!!! One Sided Collaboration Requests to Creat[e] Content For Multi-Million Dollar Conpanies [sic] & People For Free!” she wrote over a screenshot of the email.
She then shared additional screenshots of the Hello Bello vitamins she was being offered, noting they retailed for $11 each, though they sell for $9.88 at Walmart.
Angus elaborated, writing that she only posts products on her Instagram account that she actually uses and has determined she likes.
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“Most often I have bought them or I have reached out to the PR saying, ‘I would like to try your product,’ OR the PR has asked prior if I would like [to] try something specific where I pick the item, with no social obligation,” she wrote. “I ONLY say YES if I actually want to try it.”
She added, “Collaborating IS NOT: Let us send you something AND then we expect you to create content on your social and share with your followers once you receive.”
To further her point, Angus shared a screenshot of the “crazy” contract she received from Hello Bello, which would require her to share one social media post with a promotional code and three different hashtags, and follow the brand’s Instagram account in order to receive her free vitamins.
“This needs to stop in the industry. I’m drowning trying to reply to these sort of fake, one-sided ‘collaborations’ all day long,” she wrote.
Angus then shared the response email she sent to Hello Bello, chastising the company for repeatedly reaching out.
“I have responded before. You want me to create content and post on my social for multi-millionaires Kristen & Dax for a $40 free gift of vitamins whose cost is probably $5. I actually find your email insulting and I am a fan of both of theirs,” she wrote.
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Companies frequently use celebrities with large Instagram followings to push their products, with the posts typically accompanied by the word “ad” or “sponsored.”
Hello Bello said in a statement to PEOPLE the company respected Angus’s decision not to participate.
“As a new brand, Hello Bello is proud of our passionate community of supporters. We value our relationships with influencers, and like many brands, work with them in a variety of capacities. We respect Juliet’s decision not to participate in our vitamin launch. We remain committed to our mission of providing all parents access to affordable, premium products,” the statement read.
