Draya Michele Criticized For Air Purifier Promo Amid LA Wildfires

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 16: Draya Michele attends the 2023 GQ Men of the Year at Bar Marmont on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images)

Draye Michele is being heavily criticized on social media after she promoted an air purifier amid the L.A. wildfires on her social media. 

The former reality TV star posted herself unboxing a Sereniby air purifier and talked about the wildfires in her caption. “While the unimaginable is happening with the fires in LA… air quality is so poor, toxic even,” she said. “I’m using the @sereniby_official air purifier to ensure that my kids and pets are breathing in fresh, double-filtered air.”

Michele added that there is an offer to get $200 off the company’s products through the link in her Instagram bio. “There’s no price on peace of mind but having it is more valuable than most worldly things #prayforla #airquality #airpurifier”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEppa-Wvmgp/?igsh=MXFvOTh0NGE0Mm91bQ==

Although Draya’s caption seemed like it was a sponsored post, Sereniby released a statement revealing that she was not paid for the post. They also said that they will donate 10% of their profits this month to the American Red Cross to provide financial assistance to those hoping to purchase an air purifier. 

“She and her team contacted us because she genuinely uses the product and believed it could help others dealing with the severe air quality in Los Angeles,” the statement reads. “Together, we explored ways to make our purifier as affordable as possible during this difficult time. We’re a small, family-run startup that only launched a few months ago, and we’re incredibly grateful for her genuine support.”

Some of the comments under the post called Draya Michele tone deaf while other comments suggested that she should be giving away the air purifiers for free as a way to help those in need. Nearly 200,000 people were displaced due to the fires. What are your thoughts on this?