Earlier this month, Kendall and Kylie Jenner made cringe history with a line of $125 t-shirts designed to "honor" legendary artists like Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., the Doors, Black Sabbath and Metallica — by superimposing Instagram photos of themselves on top of them. Besides being flat-out ugly, the Jenners' tees were created without the icons' knowledge or consent, prompting outrage, social media shade, and in some cases, legal threats, from fans and artists alike — including this epic zinger, courtesy of Sharon Osbourne.
Girls, you haven't earned the right to put your face with musical icons. Stick to what you know…lip gloss. pic.twitter.com/BhmuUVrDBn
— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) June 29, 2017
Within hours, Kendall and Kylie had ceded to the outcry. After yanking the shirts from their website, the siblings issued an apology. "These designs were not well thought out and we deeply apologize to anyone that has been upset and/or offended, especially to the families of the artists," they said in a statement. Nevertheless, the clap-backs keep on coming. The latest arrives courtesy of Metallica frontman James Hetfield, who addressed the Jenners' $125, Kill 'Em All-inspired "vintage original" in a recent interview with ET Canada.
"To me, it's disrespectful," Hetfield said of the siblings' haute homage. "We've spent 36 years working hard, doing our best to keep a really close connection with people, make every note count, and someone just throws something up over something that we feel — Not that it's sacred or anything, but show some respect." If the Jenner sisters are so deadset on honoring the kings of heavy metal, perhaps they could start by following their sister Kim's example and rocking a "Metal Up Your Ass" t-shirt.
