Bank exec regrets wearing blackface for Kanye West costume after being slammed on Twitter: 'I made a foolish decision'

A South Carolina bank executive darkened his skin to embody Kanye West for Halloween, and it was initially a hit.

Bryan Lenertz, vice president of Anderson Brothers Bank in Myrtle Beach, dressed as West for a Halloween party, and his wife dressed as Kim Kardashian West. Lenertz channeled the Donald Trump supporter in a MAGA hat, gold shades, a camo hoodie, a gold chain, and a goatee. And while the musician and designer is continuously criticized for his public praise of Trump, that’s not why people are angry over Lenertz’s costume.

A photo of the couple was shared on Facebook, and sources contacted the Root with screenshots of the post and comments.

The Root posted a side-by-side comparison of Lenertz in costume and not in costume to show that the banker had darkened his skin to look more like the black rapper. According to the Root’s sources, Lenertz used bronzer from Kardashian West’s beauty brand to appear black.

People weren’t bothered by Lenertz’s wearing blackface at first. In fact, commenters praised his costume on the original Facebook post. In a screenshot that the Root posted, people called the couple’s costumes “bootylicious,” “perfection,” and “awesome.” “Y’all two killed it bro,” someone wrote.

The tide quickly turned, though. Once the Root caught wind of the costume, the photos went viral, and social media users started slamming Lenertz for a racist portrayal.

Others are blaming Anderson Brothers Bank, which was called a “trailblazer” in the industry earlier this month, and demanding that it fire him.

“We are aware of it and the controversy that it generated,” Joanne Joyner, vice president of human resources at Anderson Brothers Bank, told Yahoo Lifestyle. “We have no comment to anybody except to say that we are handling it to the best of our ability.” Joyner added, “There are two sides to every story, and a picture doesn’t tell a full story.” Apparently, Lenertz has multiracial nieces and nephews.

“On October 27th I made a foolish decision,” Lenertz said in a statement. “While it was never my intention, I understand that my costume was both hurtful and wrong. I fully and completely apologize. I’ve learned from this mistake and promise it will never happen again.”

The bank said, “ABB and Lenertz express deep regret for the incident and extend our apologies to all who were offended.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• PETA goes after Donald Trump Jr. with mock Halloween trophy hunting costume: Here’s his response

• Kanye West says President Trump ‘cares about the way black people feel about him’

• Salon owner defends employee wearing blackface for Michael Jackson costume, says she didn’t know ‘it was a thing’

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