Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande speak out after their photographer is accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour

24 July 2019, 15:11

By Jazmin Duribe

Marcus is yet to respond to the allegations against him.

Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande have responded to allegations made against celebrity photographer Marcus Hyde, who has been accused of allegedly pressuring a woman to send him nude photographs in exchange for a free photoshoot. Marcus has worked with Donald Glover, Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, her husband Kanye West and more.

A model named Sunnaya Nash came forward with allegations against Marcus on Monday (July 22). In a private Instagram message, Marcus was allegedly interested in doing a free photoshoot with her. He then suggested she send him a nude photo, according screenshots posted by the model. Sunnaya let him know that she had no nude photos but that she was comfortable shooting in lingerie or partially nude.

Marcus then said the price of the shoot would be $2,000, although he initially said it would be free of charge. Sunnaya replied saying she didn't mind shooting nude, but wouldn't be sending over any photos and he replied: "Gotta see if your [sic] worth it." Ick…

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Big prayers up for homie @marcushyde he was in a terrible car accident. Keeping good vibes open for good news 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 #marcushyde

A post shared by HXLT (@hxltmusic) on Oct 30, 2018 at 11:24am PDT

Sunnaya posted the receipts on Twitter and Instagram (which Instagram has now removed!?), which shows their exchange via Instagram DM. Soon, other women began sharing similar experiences they'd had with Marcus and other photographers, exposing a problem within the modelling industry.

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When I posted this sometime ago , I was scared of name dropping for fear of being “black listed.” The irony , right ? The photographer abuses his power and position but I’m the one scared of being shut out ? To all my ladies (regardless of fame or financial status) WE DO EACH OTHER A HUGE DISSERVICE WHEN WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THESE MEN FOR WHAT? INSTAGRAM CLOUT? When an aspiring model sees these images and reaches out to a man like this she has no idea what took place during the shoot or that she’d be better off without him. By the time models find out a photographer is a pig it’s usually TOO LATE AND THROUGH EXPERIENCE. To the women that knowingly work with these men: just because it didn’t happen to you personally doesn’t mean it’s not your problem. We have a collective responsibility to ourselves and the young women stepping into this industry to call out this behavior regardless of how “dope his pictures would be in my portfolio.” In the words of @ihartericka - - Abusers don’t abuse everyone they come in contact with. Their celebrity clients don’t see this behavior. Instead they show their true colors to young models with smaller followings and girls that don’t know any better. If he isn’t scared of being black listed then why should I be? I DONT SHOOT WITH EVERYONE BECAUSE (aside from the business aspect) MY FACE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO SYMBOLIZES THAT I VOUCH FOR YOU AND THAT YOU ARE TRUSTWORTHY !!!!! To all my aspiring models - please free to reach out to me personally and ask me about ANY of my experiences with past photographers. To the photographers- if you’re worried about what I have to say about you then YOU SHOULD HAVE BEHAVED BETTER. #keepgoing

A post shared by Alex Undone (@alexundone) on Jul 22, 2019 at 8:46am PDT

Ariana has now seemingly responded to the models' claims on her Instagram Story, although she didn't name Marcus in the statement.

It read: "I have just read some shocking and really heartbreaking stories. I hate that this is a conversation but please do not shoot with photographers who make you uncomfortable or make you feel like you need to take your clothing off if you don’t want to.

"If you want to, sick. But if you don’t, please don’t. If they tell you you have to pay more money if you’re clothed, that’s fucked and I’m sorry that has happened to you. I promise there are so many respectful, nice, talented photographers out there. I hate hearing about things like this. I am sorry that that was anybody’s experience and know that it doesn’t have to be.

"Look out for one another. Tag your friends on posts of other photographers [whose] work you like and have had positive experiences with, and help each other get connected."

Kim has also spoken out about the whole situation, too. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has worked closely with Marcus in the past and even donated $25,000 to him after he got into a serious car accident.

"I have been reading all of the messages and stories from women regarding the inexcusable behavior of a photographer that I have worked with in the past," she wrote on her Instagram Story.

"My own experiences have always been professional, and I am deeply shocked, saddened and disappointed to learn that other women have had very different experiences. I stand in full support of every woman's right to not be harassed, asked, or pressured to do anything they are not comfortable with. We cannot allow this type of behavior and I applaud those who speak out."

Marcus is yet to respond to the allegations but he has deleted Twitter, made his Instagram page private and deleted his profile picture.