Pop Crave shared a photo of the billboard on X Saturday (April 18), showing Kardashian promoting her new Kloud protein chips.
The post quickly went viral, with many people calling out Kardashian’s “darker complexion” and several users saying they initially mistook her for Beyoncé.
“I was scrolling too fast and thought this was Beyoncé,” one person retweeted on X.
“It does [look like Beyoncé] a second and then after the double take you’re like ‘oh…,’” another user on Reddit wrote.
Several people in the comments went on to accuse Kardashian of “blackfishing,” which is when someone attempts to appear Black or racially ambiguous on purpose.
“I’m crying 😭😭😭what is going on 😩🤭,” she wrote.
Many users who reacted to Kardashian’s comment either interpreted it as excitement or implied that this was what she wanted.
“She said ‘mission accomplished,’” one Instagram user quipped. “Trust me this is a compliment for Khloe,” another wrote.
According to the BBC, blackfishing involves the use of such things as hairstyling and makeup to make someone appear darker, and was coined in a thread by journalist Wanna Thompson on X in 2018 in response to several white celebrities and influencers “cosplaying” as black women on social media.
“Blackfishing is when white public figures, influencers and the like do everything in their power to appear black,” Thompson told CNN in an interview. “Whether that means to tan their skin excessively… and wear hairstyles and clothing trends that have been pioneered by black women.”
Kardashian has been accused of blackfishing in the past. She was also called out in 2023 for her Halloween Bratz costume with her sister, Kim Kardashian, along with Natalie Halcro and Olivia Pierson.
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