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The Weeknd Ends H&M Partnership After Racist 'Monkey' Photo

Photo: Getty
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The Weeknd will "not be working" with H&M after the company listed a children's hoodie with the words "coolest monkey in the jungle" printed on the front, accompanied by a photo of a black boy wearing the product.

"Woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo," The Weeknd said Monday on Twitter, with a screenshot of the product listing. "I’m deeply offended and will not be working with [H&M] anymore."

Following the backlash, the retailer issued a statement apologizing for the offensive image. 

"We sincerely apologize for offending people with this image of a printed hooded top," H&M said in the statement. "The image has been removed from all online channels and the product will not be for sale in the United States. We believe in diversity and inclusion in all that we do and will be reviewing all our internal policies accordingly to avoid any future issues."

The sweatshirt had initially been available in the clothing chain's U.K. stores. As of this writing, it is still available for purchase, just without any photos of models wearing the item.

The Weeknd first partnered with H&M last year for multiple collections of custom clothing items, including jackets, parkas and sweatshirts.