The Devil Wears Prada Sequel Faces Backlash Over New Character

0:00On April 25th, the Devil Wears Prada 2 is stirring up major backlash over its new character, Jen Chao, the assistant to Anne Hathaway's Andy Sachs. In a teaser clip that's racked up over 26 million views on X, the character, played by Helen J. Shen, comes off as an overachieving Asian nerd, listing her Yale creds like a 3.86 GPA and a perfect 36 ACT score. Critics say it revives tired Hollywood stereotypes from two decades back. The clip shows Andy meeting her new hire at the Runaway magazine, where Jen misreads the vibe and defends her spot by rattling off achievements, including Letzoprano and Yale's Wiffin poofs. Now with the film dropping next week, directed by David Franco, and bringing back Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt, this promo has folks questioning if it's stuck in the past. Social media exploded, especially from users in China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, calling out the name's pronunciation as echoing old racist, slurs.

1:04Many slammed the awkward style, glasses, and insecurity as outdated tropes of Asian overachievers, with one Korean poster saying it fuels white. Fanacies more than real stereotypes. East Asians are fired up, pushing boycott calls. Asian media jumped in too, from Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, to Japan's Sanke Shimbun and Korea's top dailies, amplifying the outrage. Some defended it as just Gen Z quirkiness, but the debate's heated, pinning the character as a caricature in a fashion world flick. No word yet from 20th century studios, Disney, or the cast as the May 1st release looms. This could shadow the hype, but it'll be interesting to see if the full movie shifts the narrative, or doubles down on the buzz. Entertainment and celebrity news. Today, powered by AI bringing you what's trending. I'm Corey with The Story.