A Black lawyer is being attacked online for his past tweets disrespecting Black women. Waymond Wesley, famously known as “Chef Way” for his cooking videos posted on TikTok, is also a prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston.
Now, because of Wesley’s dug-up social media history from 2015 and 2016, the popular chef is facing heat outside of the kitchen. Yesterday (Jan. 11), Chron.com reported that Twitter user @tayshusmama recovered some of the posts the assistant attorney made under the now-deleted account @WaymoTheGod.
His offensive tweets first went viral on Monday (Jan. 9) after he posted himself cooking oxtails on TikTok to his 250,000 followers. People in his comments, which are now off, quickly reminded him of the things he previously said.
According to the @tayshusmama account, in one of the tweets, Wesley shared a picture of a dark-skinned Black woman and wrote, “She’s too black.” In a separate post, he lined up an image of a Black woman next to a picture of a landfill and wrote, “I see no difference.”
You’re a nasty man pic.twitter.com/ZKmvvonBP4
— Divine 🌈 (@tayshusmama) January 9, 2023
In addition to insulting Black women, another user found his old tweet, in which he gave an opinion on Sandra Bland’s death. In 2015, Bland died in a Waller County, Texas jail cell after she being arrested following a confrontational traffic stop from State Trooper Brian Encinia. She was 28. While her death was ruled a suicide, people are speculating about the truth even years later.
Twitter user @Kuboreshasaid responded to @tayshusmama’s account with a screenshot of the handle @WaymoTheGod. The post from July 29, 2015 read, “If Black lives mattered to Sandra Bland, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. I’m serious too.”
And this pic.twitter.com/1a3IwGxewV
— Kuboresha (@Kuboreshasaid) January 9, 2023
Since the tweets reemerged, Wesley has posted an apology on the social media platform from his @ChefWay__ account.
“To those I’ve hurt with my past tweets that have resurfaced, I am deeply sorry,” he wrote. “That was a moment in my life where I was sick in more ways than one. Cooking saved me. You have watched a flawed man heal. I will continue to heal and learn. Thanks for being along for the journey.”
To those I’ve hurt with my past tweets that have resurfaced, I am deeply sorry. That was a moment in my life where I was sick in more ways than one. Cooking saved me. You have watched a flawed man heal. I will continue to heal and learn. Thanks for being along for the journey.
— Chef Way (@ChefWay__) January 9, 2023
While some think Harris County should fire him for his misogynic tweets, his boss Attorney Kim Ogg, a white woman, doesn’t believe he deserves to lose his job. In a statement shared on Tuesday (Jan. 10), she said, “We recently learned of comments he made on social media posts nearly seven years ago. These posts were inappropriate and offensive and do not reflect my values or those of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Wesley has explained that these posts came during a period in which he was struggling with serious personal issues, including alcohol addiction.”
She added in the documents that Wesley sought help for his views on colorism towards women. “Prior to joining our office, Mr. Wesley went through treatment and has worked with the State Bar of Texas to resolve his issues,” Ogg continued. “His recovery is ongoing. I am a believer in second chances, and Mr. Wesley has conducted himself professionally since joining our staff. I am confident that will continue.”