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Chrissy Teigen’s team is speaking out against the alleged bullying of Michael Costello.
After the fashion designer published screenshots of an alleged Instagram DM from Tiegen, accusing the cookbook author of cyberbullying, Teigen’s rep is now claiming the messages shared are actually fake.
In an article published by Business Insider, the rep says there are inconsistencies that suggest the screenshots had been altered.
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As People magazine notes, there is a missing verified checkmark next to Teigen’s name, which could mean the screenshots were taken in 2014, before Instagram added the verification program. But those same screenshots also featured purple and blue messages, which is a recent design change that launched in 2020. The photos also show an old profile photo of Teigen and a video chat icon that was only added to the app in 2018.
Following the new reports, Costello’s rep has denied the allegations of the fake screenshots, sharing a statement to E! News, “The fact that Chrissy Teigen’s team is desperately trying to prove the DM’s are fake and attempts to discredit Michael Costello, a victim of trauma and bullying by Chrissy Teigen both online and offline, confirms that she remains the same bully, despite her public apology.”
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The new report come just days after Costello, a former contestant on “Project Runway”, came forward with claims against Teigen, accusing her of online bullying.
“For the past 7 years, I’ve lived with a deep, unhealed trauma,” he wrote on Instagram this week. “I wanted to kill myself and I still am traumatized, depressed and have thoughts of suicide.”
Courtney Stodden has also come forward with similar accusations against Teigen.