Names and faces
■ Kim Kardashian is “reevaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga, the reality star said Sunday night, after the fashion brand was criticized for a campaign featuring children posing with teddy bears in what appeared to be bondage gear. “As a mother of four, I have been shaken,” she said on Twitter. “Any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society.” Last week, photos surfaced of a Balenciaga campaign that showed children holding teddy bears in leather gear resembling that used in bondage, dominance, submission and sadomasochism. Kardashian, who has worked as an ambassador for Balenciaga, said she waited to speak out “because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.” “In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue,” she said. Amid the criticism, Balenciaga stated last week on Instagram that its “plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign.” As of Sunday, Balenciaga’s Instagram posts had been hidden or deleted. Balenciaga and its parent company, Kering, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Kardashian’s statements.
■ Comedian Jay Leno grazed a police car upon arriving at a California comedy club for his first performance since suffering serious burns this month, according to TMZ. Leno reportedly struck a Hermosa Beach Police Department vehicle’s tire before going into The Comedy & Magic Club. He downplayed the incident after the show, telling reporters, “I didn’t really hit a cop car,” and responding, “Well, there you go,” after a media member said there was no damage to either vehicle. Police couldn’t immediately confirm the incident when contacted by the Daily News. Leno’s stand-up set came less than a week after he was released from a Los Angeles facility, where he was treated for the deep second-degree and possibly third-degree burns he suffered Nov. 12 when a car he was working on caught fire. “I am pleased with Jay’s progress and I am optimistic that he will make a full recovery,” Dr. Peter Grossman said in a statement last week. He told reporters that Sunday’s stand-up show went well, saying, “They were a great crowd.”