Kai Cenat Faces Backlash After Collab Deal With Target
AMP, a streaming group comprising influencers, has secured a deal with Target, but some consumers are unhappy with the move. The group that creates collaborative videos on YouTube and Twitch consists of Duke Dennis, Kai Cenat, Fanum, Agent 00, ChrisNxtDoor, and ImDavisss. They have now launched a personal care brand called Tone, which will be sold exclusively at Target.
“We really saw a gap in the shelves for a new brand to break through — and for a brand that is fresh and represents who we and our community are. Products that don’t just look good but actually work and smell great,” Cenat said in a press release.
AMP’s collaboration with Target causing backlash
In January, Target announced that it would roll back its three-year DEI goals, conclude its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives by 2025, and discontinue a program focused on carrying more products from Black— or minority-owned businesses.
Some Black consumers have taken to social media to express their disappointment with the partnership.
Target Boycott and Black leaders holding Target accountable
In March, Pastor Jamal Bryant called for a 40-day boycott against the retailer, which began on Wednesday, March 4. The movement spanned cities including Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Florida, and Alexandria, Virginia. The “Target Fast” coincided with Lent, when some Christians observe fasting.
Bryant commented on the partnership on an Instagram post saying: If @target would spend as much energy and resources meeting the demands of the target fast @targetfast40 as they are on influencers, paying preachers and going to @essencefest, we would be further along. Doing what’s right for our people is always made to feel like an inconvenience. Stand on business and don’t go back in until they handle us right!”
Rev. Al Sharpton met with Target CEO Brian Cornell in New York on Thursday, April 17, 2025, to discuss Target’s decision to roll back its DEI initiatives. Chairwoman Yvette D. Clarke and members of the Congressional Black Caucus’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force also met with Cornell to discuss the company’s rollback of its DEI efforts.
They described the meeting as candid and direct, but felt that “the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve.”
Image: GQ/Youtube
