Emma Watson has been drinking wine since she was a kid, so it was no surprise to see her enter the spirits industry. The 33-year-old actress recently launched a wine-inspired gin brand called Renais with her brother, Alex Watson, and has been marketing it to her 74 million followers on Instagram ever since.
“It is an ode to the sun-kissed vineyards of Chablis where my family has been making wine these past 30 years. Renais Gin is our love letter to Chablis; a carbon-neutral product, lovingly made from upcycled wine grapes. I’m having a proud sister moment,” Watson wrote in an Instagram caption on April 29.
On May 11, she continued to promote Renais in the comments section of an Instagram post by The Gardener Gin – a gin brand launched by fellow actor, Brad Pitt. She later posted the interaction on her Instagram Story for her followers to see, but was met with an overwhelming amount of criticism for it.
“Collaborating with/promoting with a man who has been credibly […] accused of domestic abuse as the United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador since 2014 is definitely a huge pivot from how she has presented herself,” wrote one Reddit user – who questioned Emma Watson’s association with Brad Pitt.
For context, Watson has a history of supporting the feminist movement and has longed for women’s rights – often using her platform to bring awareness to social issues. Taking that into consideration, fans are baffled by her support for Pitt, who is currently facing allegations of domestic abuse and child abuse.
In October 2022, Pitt’s wife and fellow actress, Angelina Jolie, accused him of grabbing and shaking her on a private jet in 2016 – while also choking one of his children, striking another one of his children, and even pouring alcohol on them. He was allegedly drinking heavily before and during the incident.
While Brad Pitt denied the allegations against him, he has admitted to drinking too much and even called his drinking a ‘problem’ at one point. It’s unclear if Emma Watson knew of the allegations before posting the comment on her Instagram Story, but it has been a major developing story for several years now.
Emma Watson Fans Are Disappointed Over Her Comment
On May 11, shortly after Emma Watson posted her comment under The Gardener’s photo, a Reddit forum was created with the title, “Emma Watson giving Brad Pitt a shout-out on Instagram.” The forum is filled with more than 150 comments and a majority of them were from disappointed and befuddled fans.
“Are there any women in Hollywood with a backbone to stand up for their fellow women?” asked one user, while another one pointed out how scary it is that some female celebrities ‘use feminism for their own personal brand, but they don’t give a two-second thought when it comes to siding with questionable men.’
There were also a lot of comments suggesting it’s not really her posting and commenting on her account – citing how off-brand it is for her and how the messaging in the comments/captions doesn’t sound like her normal content. “ Her socials have been handed to a publicist for the gin brand,” one user thought.
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“How disappointing. The lesson that Emma Watson leaves us is: “I’m a feminist yes, but if there’s money in the middle… not so much,” wrote another user. Emma Watson has yet to respond to the backlash, but that’s likely to change in the near future as fans continue to demand answers to their growing confusion.
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