Celebrity fashion designer Kelly Nishimoto is slamming a series of A-listers who allegedly tried to get free clothes from her because of her status in Hollywood.
“There were some celebrities who didn’t want to pay,” the former “Borrowed, Something New” co-host claimed on a recent episode of her podcast “Hairbrush News.”
“Paula Abdul,” Nishimoto, 49, said, naming his first celebrity. “Her stylist pulled out some items from my collection for her to wear on ‘American Idol,’ and she wore them.”
But before the clothing could be returned, the Cute Booty Lounge founder said she received a call from the “Straight Up” singer’s team.
According to Nishimoto, Abdul’s stylist told him that the pop star really wanted to keep at least three outfits. The podcaster replied, “No problem,” and told the stylist that he would send her an invoice.
“And she said, ‘Oh, she was hoping you would give them to her.’ It’s like she’s filming ‘American Idol’ because no one knows how many episodes she’s going to get,” she rants.
“I’m struggling here and can barely pay my rent and my employees and my one employee and one seamstress. So you want me to give you a thousand dollars worth of clothes for free?” Nishimoto reasoned.
Instead, the social media personality said she thought Abdul, 64, should pay “another $1,000” for the items she wanted to keep and dry cleaning for other items Nishimoto lent her for free.
Ms. Nishimoto claimed that her stylist sent all her clothes back when she realized her clients couldn’t keep them for free.
“I thought that was so lame,” she thought.
Nishimoto also accused Kate Hudson’s stylist of trying to give the “Son Song Bleu” actress free leggings.
What made the call even stranger for the TLC alum was that Hudson, 47, had just launched her own activewear brand, Fabletics.
“I thought, ‘Oh, she can buy it. What does she want? And I’ll send her the bill,'” Nishimoto recalls. “There was no response after that. I mean, come on, are you?”
Page Six has reached out to Abdul and Hudson’s representatives for comment.
Despite Nishimoto’s claims, fans were quick to defend the celebrity in the comments section of the Instagram post.
Designer Michael Costello wrote, “Paula is an extraordinary person. I say that not only because she is a friend, but because she has always conducted herself in a professional manner. In fact, everything Paula has ever worn has been paid for in full by us.”
Celebrity makeup artist Ernesto Casillas, on the other hand, countered: “This is not a client’s problem, it’s a stylist’s problem. They don’t want to spend their budget.”
Nishimoto captioned the podcast clip: “Tell me honestly: Do you think celebrities should still ask for freebies?”
She added, “Is it just me or is it incredibly vulgar to ask for free goods when you’re making money on a prime time TV show?”
In February, the entrepreneur announced that he would be shutting down his brand after 22 years.
“It’s time to move on and enjoy more of my family and work on new ideas,” she elaborated to her followers, calling it “the end of an era.”
Nishimoto added, “I have enjoyed every success, every failure, and every lesson that 22 years in this business and 30 years as a designer has brought me.”
“I look forward to exploring other creative and meaningful avenues,” she continued.
Nishimoto concluded her post by saying that she sees life “through a different lens now.”
“I have new goals in life, new passions, and new beauty,” she wrote in part.
