Kim Kardashian has become the focus of a public back-and-forth after it was claimed—and denied—that she had asked social media star That Girl Lay Lay to remove an Instagram post featuring her daughter, North.
The 14-year-old rapper shared a video of herself and North, now 8, dancing together on Instagram in March 2020. That video remains online.
However, on Monday, a post on the official Instagram account of That Girl Lay Lay—real name Alaya High—claimed that Kardashian had asked her to remove a new social media video featuring North, which was also shot in March 2020.
TMZ reported that the since-deleted post read: "@kimkardashian texted me to take down the new TikTok video with North in it. I don't know why ..."
The post continued: "They invited ME to their house. This industry SUCKS! I asked what did I do wrong and they didn't answer me. So confused on what this industry is... just trying to make good positive music. #nevergiveup."
As the claims garnered attention, Tracy Romulus, chief marketing officer at Kardashian's KKW Brands, commented on the post to share a different take.
"To be clear it was me who contacted Lay Lay's dad, grown up to grown up," she wrote, as TMZ reported and Newsweek has confirmed.
"Kim never reached out to this child.
"I'm sorry it was not explained to her in a way for her to understand (because I very clearly explained to the dad) but Lay Lay was invited over 1 YEAR ago for a private child's play date — not to be filmed for that footage to be used in a music video over 1 year later.
"The play date came about because North was a fan and loved to cover her songs. Kim invited Lay Lay over to their home not knowing they would want to film North — however North's parents did allow for 1 Tik Tok to be posted after the play date ended and it was learned that they had filmed her for several of them."
Romulus added: "As Lay Lay grows older and she continues to have a career in this industry she will have to learn that nobody can film you and use your image without permission.
"North is an 8 year old child who is not on social media and it is well within her parents' rights to say how and when their daughter's image can be used for promotional purposes just like it's well within Lay Lay's parents' rights to say yes or no when it comes to their child's image."
Newsweek also understands that Lay Lay's mother, Antanique Landry, posted an Instagram story on Monday stating that Kardashian did not directly contact her daughter, who has recently landed her own Nickelodeon show.
A screenshot attributed to Landry read: "LAY LAY DID NOT make that post, nor did she KNOW that post was made. Lay Lay is NOT in contact with Kim! Lay Lay's IG account is NOT managed by ME!"
Lay Lay's profile on her Instagram account, which has 1.2 million followers, says it is run "by [her] parents," with a link to her father Acie High's page on the image-sharing platform.
Kardashian has three other children with Kanye West: daughter Chicago, 3, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, 2. She filed for divorce in February.
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Kim Kardashian and That Girl Lay Lay for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
