Richelieu Dennis Steps Down From ESSENCE

Amid controversy from an anonymous group alleging inappropriate behavior and “unfit working conditions”, Essence is making a statement.

A group called Black Female Anonymous penned an exposé titled “The Truth About Essence.” In it, they alleged that “the brand promise is fraudulent” and noted that while it should be a “safe haven for black girl magic”, it deceptively mistreats black women on the inside. The group called out top leadership specifically and demanded that they resign.

“We demand the immediate resignation of Essence Ventures owner and Chief Executive Officer Richelieu Dennis, Essence Ventures board member and former Essence Communications CEO Michelle Ebanks, Chief Operating Officer Joy Collins Profet, and Chief Content Officer Moana Luu. We are calling for AT&T, Coca Cola, Chase Bank, Ford, McDonalds, Procter & Gamble, Walmart and Warner Media to immediately eliminate all active or future sponsorships and media buys at Essence Ventures until the company is under new leadership.”

In particular, they said women were subjected to sexual harassment and an “extremely unhealthy work culture.” They alleged that the work culture resulted in wrongful layoffs and resignations. They also called out Essence owner Richelieu Dennis, the founder of Shea Moisture whose brand was acquired by Unilever in a $50 million deal, and said he had a history of sleeping with women on the Sundial staff, (the parent company of Shea Moisture that he sold in 2017) to fuel his “debaucherous sexual appetite.”

Source: FayesVision/WENN.com / WENN

Essence has released a statement announcing an internal investigation. The new statement comes after the brand initially denied the allegations and dubbed them “unfounded attempts to discredit our brand and assassinate personal character.”

“Out of an abundance of caution and an unwavering commitment to transparency, ESSENCE is in the process of hiring law firms and other independent external experts to assess and review the company’s policies,” Essence said in a statement.

“To further foster the transparency we practice and value as well as to provide necessary confidence to our employees and community that the process will be conducted in a fair and independent fashion, we shared with our staff earlier today that Caroline Wanga, who joined ESSENCE on June 29 as its new Chief Growth Officer, will step in as interim CEO of Essence Communications, Inc. to work with team leads across the organization and run day-to-day operations, as well as oversee the independent review process.”

They add;

“There was no interim CEO at ESSENCE Communications, Inc. (ECI), following the departure of Michelle Ebanks on March 31 until Richelieu Dennis appointed Caroline Wanga to this position on July 1. As owner, Dennis helped to lead the team along with the ECI senior leadership team, but never took on the roles or responsibilities of CEO. So he never stepped down from, resigned from or was replaced in any role.”

Richelieu Dennis will remain as chair of the board of Essence Ventures, reports Page Six. By July 3, Caroline Wanga is expected to outline an actionable plan as to how she will make Essence “a more safe and equitable workplace for Black women,” with Black Female Anonymous advising “Fix it or Fold”, reports MadameNoire. 

Dennis himself has since spoken out and he’s praising Caroline Wanga while noting that his position was only meant to be temporary while a new CEO search took place.