Fashion influencer, critic, and stylist Nicky Campbell is learning the hard way that not every red carpet read lands the way he thinks it will.

Campbell sparked backlash after posting a video critiquing Dionne Warwick’s look at the Billboard Women in Music event on April 29, with his comments about the 85-year-old singer’s choice of footwear and his use of a derogatory term, setting off fans online.

According to People, Campbell’s remarks quickly drew criticism across Instagram and TikTok, with many users calling out the disrespect shown to the iconic singer.

Campbell has since issued an apology in a video posted on May 4, saying, “I put my foot in my mouth with my choice of words. I did not mean to disrespect thee Dionne Warwick.” He added that Warwick has “done more for the world than I have” and said he was surprised by her decision to wear slippers, but he was not trying to be rude. “I will learn to watch my mouth, especially around icons,” he said. 

Warwick, meanwhile, already made it clear she was standing on her own style. In her own Instagram video, she said, “I’m Dionne Warwick. Everybody always wants to know, ‘What are you wearing?’ Let me just say this, I’m wearing what I want to wear. How about that?” She also noted that she does her own styling. 

Warwick attended the event to present Teyana Taylor with the Visionary Award, and she walked the carpet with her son, Damon Elliott, and daughter-in-law Ana Netanel. For a moment that was supposed to be about her being the legend she is, the conversation instead turned into another reminder that Black women icons are not here to be disrespected (especially not by somebody trying to go viral).