AMERICAN Eagle is under fire for appearing to take credit for the viral jeans Kendrick Lamar wore during his Super Bowl halftime show.
Kendrick’s bell-bottom jeans were already confirmed to be made by French luxury brand Celine – but AE ran an ad saying differently.
The rapper’s casual outfit went viral after his fiery performance on Sunday, where Kendrick, 37, performed his hit Drake diss track Not Like Us.
Fans scrambled to find the source of the flared blue jeans before they were revealed to be sold at Celine for $1,200.
Kendrick’s stylist, Taylor McNeil, picked the size 29 denim out for the star, according to Page Six.
However, an anonymous message submitted to Deux Moi claimed the popular pants were actually vintage American Eagle flares from 2007.
“Sources say those eye catching jeans he was sporting were actually vintage American Eagle flares from 2007!” the email to the gossip account said on Thursday.
“Apparently, he found them in his [fiancée’s] closet just minutes before taking the stage and decided to wear them for the iconic performance.”
The post added, “Replicas of the 2007 American Eagle Flares are in store now!”
The caption of Deux Moi’s post included #AEPartner – meaning the post was likely paid for by the brand.
Fans immediately called out American Eagle for claiming the designer jeans as their own.
“This is a good way to get sued,” one Instagram user commented on the post.
Hidden link between Kendrick Lamar’s beef with Drake, the Super Bowl halftime show, and Duolingo’s dead owl revealed
“I worked there for 8 years and in 2007. They are not AE,” another shared.
“Deux, these jeans were Celine,” a third wrote.
“American Eagle better be careful endorsing this false statement.”
A LinkedIn user weighed in, “It seems American Eagle Outfitters Inc. doesn’t only sell jeans, but misinformation too.
“Shame on them and Deux Moi for this branded post, which co-opts a narrative that should be owned by Celine, who actually made the jeans.”
‘DOUBLING DOWN’
When American Eagle commented two vague emojis on the Instagram post, Instagram users sounded off in the replies.
“Genuinely awful marketing tactic,” one slammed.
Another teased, “We know y’all sent that in.”
Deux, these jeans were Celine. American Eagle better be careful endorsing this false statement.”
Instagram user under Deux Moi’s post
“Oh so you’re just doubling down?” another fired off.
“Per his stylist, they are @celine . But keep it up. You just might be receiving a legal letter from them soon.”
American Eagle and Celine haven’t returned The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Kendrick also hasn’t responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment – but he’s likely busy with his ongoing battle with Drake.
The rapper also stoked the feud’s flame by wearing a chain necklace with a hidden meaning during the halftime show.
DRAKE & KENDRICK FEUD TIMELINE
On October 6, 2023, Drake and J. Cole released First Person Shooter, in which J. Cole claimed that himself, Drake, and Kendrick are the “big three” of hip-hop.
On March 22, 2024, Kendrick responded to the claim of a “big three” in his verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s song Like That, where he instead stated, “It’s just big me,” and accused both rappers of sneak dissing.
On April 5, 2024, J. Cole dropped his Kendrick diss track, 7 Minute Drill, in which he fired “warning shots” at the rapper as he accused the good kid, m.A.A.d city artist of seeking “attention” and slammed his latest music releases as “tragic.”
But on April 7, 2024, two days after releasing the Kendrick diss, J. Cole retracted his statement and backed out of the feud, as he stated he felt pressured to respond because “the world wanna see blood.”
On April 13, 2024, Drake responded to Kendrick with Push Ups, which had lyrics ridiculing Kendrick’s height and his mainstream collaborations with Taylor Swift and Maroon 5.
The track also dissed rappers Future and Rick Ross and producer Metro Boomin.
On April 19, 2024, Drake dropped another diss track, Taylor Made Freestyle, that used AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur to pressure Kendrick to respond.
On April 30, 2024, Kendrick dropped Euphoria, a six-minute diss track, in which he criticized Drake’s biracial identity, questioned the rapper’s ability as a father, and claimed that Drake is a “scam artist.”
On May 1, 2024, Drake responded to Kendrick’s diss by posting a clip from the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You on his Instagram Story in which Julia Stiles’ character Kat lists the reasons she hates Heath Ledger’s character Patrick – mirroring a Euphoria bar where Lamar provides reasons he hates Drake.
On May 3, 2024, Kendrick dropped a second Drake diss track, 6:16 in LA in which Kendrick alleges Drake’s own team is working against him as he rapped, “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it,” and stated Drake “can’t Toosie Slide up out of this one.”
After Drake responded with his diss track Family Matters, where he called accused Kendrick of infidelity, the Humble hitmaker would release Meet the Grahams, his fourth diss track against the Canadian rapper.
