The Aporia · Converse pulls latest shoes ad after critics accuse of sharing 'racist' and 'reckless' KKK imagery

Converse pulls latest shoes ad after critics accuse of sharing 'racist' and 'reckless' KKK imagery

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Kornick, L. (2026, September 20). Converse pulls latest shoes ad after critics accuse of sharing 'racist' and 'reckless' KKK imagery. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/converse-pulls-latest-shoes-ad-after-critics-accuse-sharing-racist-reckless-kkk-imagery

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Quick Summary

Converse removed an advertisement for its Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers after critics accused it of depicting Ku Klux Klan imagery. The ad featured K-pop singer Karina from the group aespa, prompting backlash on social media and a statement from Representative Troy Carter, who called the campaign "racist, reckless and deeply offensive." Converse issued an apology, acknowledging that they made a mistake and promised to remove the image wherever it appeared. This incident follows previous controversies faced by Nike, including accusations of political bias for partnerships with figures like Colin Kaepernick and recent criticism over a Boston Marathon ad.

Written by AI on 2026-09-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Converse, an American footwear brand owned by Nike, pulled an advertisement from its Instagram account after social media users accused it of evoking Ku Klux Klan imagery. The ad featured K-pop singer Karina holding a pair of black high-top sneakers under a star-shaped spotlight while wearing a long white skirt, which critics said resembled a KKK hood and the dangling feet of a lynching victim. Converse issued an apology on August 27, stating, "This should not have happened and we will do better." The company removed the image from its channels and is working to remove it from other platforms where it appeared. CEO Aaron Cain promised to review internal processes and make necessary changes in a memo to employees seen by Bloomberg News.

Written for “Converse Ad Controversy” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

Publisher signals

68/100

Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Entertainment

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articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

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Publisher

Fox News · 6479 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 53 articles by Lindsay Kornick →

Topics

Converse Fox News Digital Ku Klux Klan Nike aespa

Subjects

Nike ORG · 7× Converse ORG · 4× Carter PERSON · 3× Karina PERSON · 3× Fox News Digital ORG · 2× KKK ORG · 1× Ku Klux Klan ORG · 1× La. GPE · 1× Troy Carter PERSON · 1× aespa ORG · 1×

Narrative

The ad, which has been removed from the Nike subsidiary's social media pages, featured K-pop singer Karina of the girl group aespa promoting the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20

🔮 This should not have happened, and we will do better," the statement sent to Fox News Digital read.

2026-09-20 · Fox News

Converse pulls latest shoes ad after critics accuse of sharing 'racist' and 'reckless' KKK imagery · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 0 hedged)

Converse apologized and pulled a shoe ad last week that some claimed featured Ku Klux Klan imagery. asserted

some → apologize → imagery

The ad, which has been removed from the Nike subsidiary's social media pages, featured K-pop singer Karina of the girl group aespa promoting the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers. asserted

Karina → remove → sneakers

In the ad, Karina held a pair of black high-top shoes under a star-shaped spotlight while wearing a long white skirt. asserted

Karina → hold → skirt

Several social media users asserted that Karina resembled a KKK member, with the shoes resembling a lynching victim. asserted

shoes → assert → victim

Critics included Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., who released a statement on the ad on Friday. asserted

who → include → Friday

"Nike and Converse, what the hell were you thinking?" Carter said. asserted

Carter → think → hell

"Your campaign shows what looks like a hooded Klansman, framed by what appears to be the dangling feet of a lynching victim. asserted

what → show → victim

After facing backlash, Converse eventually pulled the ad and released a statement apologizing for the campaign. asserted

Converse → face → campaign

"We’re sorry. asserted

We → ’re → ?

We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. asserted

this → understand → ?

We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. asserted

it → remove → it

This should not have happened, and we will do better," the statement sent to Fox News Digital read. asserted

statement → happen → Digital

This latest ad backlash comes as Nike is set to be removed from the S&P 100 after nearly 18 years, following its value dropping by more than $200 billion since 2021. asserted

value → come → 2021

Conservative critics have frequently accused Nike of embracing woke politics by partnering with progressive figures like Colin Kaepernick and Dylan Mulvaney. asserted

critics → accuse → Kaepernick

However, Nike has faced backlash from the left as well. asserted

Nike → face → left

In April, Nike went viral with a Boston Marathon ad reading "Runners welcome. asserted

Nike → go → ad

Walkers tolerated" which critics claimed was "pace-shaming" participants. asserted

critics → tolerate → ?

In a new comment to Fox News Digital, a Carter spokesperson said that the apology was not enough. " asserted

apology → say → Digital

Nike and Converse must explain how this campaign was conceived and approved, identify those responsible, and commission an independent investigation. asserted

campaign → explain → investigation

They must also disclose the process and establish safeguards to ensure that imagery invoking the Klan and the lynching of Black people is never approved again," Carter's office said. asserted

office → disclose → people