The Weeknd says he’s done with H&M after ‘monkey’ ad

Pop star The Weeknd has cut ties with international retail chain H&M after the company ran an ad featuring a black boy modeling a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words “coolest monkey in the jungle.”

The Canadian singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, had partnered with the Sweden-based company for its 2017

Spring Icons Collection and modeled some of its apparel.

On Monday, The Weeknd tweeted that he was “shocked and embarrassed” and “deeply offended” and “will not be working with @hm anymore...” along with a photo of the ad.

“We completely understand and agree with his reaction to the image. We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken and we also regret the actual print,” H&M said in a statement. “We will continue the discussion with The Weeknd and his team separately.”

Other celebrities have gone after H&M. NBA star LeBron James posted singer Chris Classic’s edited version of the ad on Instagram. It features a gold crown on the model’s head and a drawing of a crown covering the “coolest monkey in the jungle” line on the hoodie. The phrase “king of the world” runs across the top of the photo.

H&M was accused on social media of being racist after using the photo online to sell a hoodie in the U.K. The retailer removed the image and the sweatshirt no longer is for sale anywhere. The company pledged to “look into our internal routines to avoid such situations in the future.”

The Weeknd