The Devil Wears Prada 2 hasn’t even hit theatres yet, but already the anticipated sequel has run into plenty of drama – and it has nothing to do with Anna Wintour. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are returning in the long-awaited follow-up, which arrives 20 years after the original. Although there’s plenty of hype, the teaser trailer stirred up controversy last year when fans noticed the colour and styling seemed off. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as there’s already been far bigger drama brewing behind the scenes. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is being called out for ‘racism’ 20th Century Studios dropped a new clip recently that went viral for all the wrong reasons, showing Andy’s new assistant Jin Chao (Helen Shen). Immediately, it was accused of being racist. we are in 2026… what made them think we’ll find this kind of racism funny https://t.co/NAVxw05998 — kanishk (@kaxishk) April 22, 2026 The footage shows Jin introducing herself to Andy, saying, “I was an intern this morning, but when a desk opens up, the interns get a chance to interview and guess what? Nobody wanted to work in your department because it’s not ‘actual’ fashion, so I just got it. Isn’t that cool?” She adds, “If you don’t want me, you can interview somebody else, that’s totally fine. I did go to Yale, 3.86 GPA, lead Soprano of the Whiffenpoofs, and my ACT score was 36 on the very first try.” The clip received multiple comments from viewers saying it promoted racist stereotypes and claiming Jen’s name sounds similar to a highly offensive slur used against Asian people. One person wrote, “This is so racist on so many levels. Thanks for nothing and showing a horrible representation of the Asian American community. Shame on you Anne Hathaway for not saying something, perhaps this is how you portray us Asians. “There’s no improvement whatsoever from 80s movies portraying Asian people as nerdy, fashion-less unattractive people.” Another said, “Asian is portrayed again in a ridiculous way, like 100 years ago. Not to mention the character’s name. Sounds like Ch*nCh*ng to the Western ear.” “We are in 2026… what made them think we’ll find this kind of racism funny?” added a third, while a fourth said, “Why the fk did she pick ‘Jen Chow’? Sounds exactly like ‘Ch*ng Ch*ng,’ bro – real suspicious, or is she just auditioning for the next racist soundboard?” 20th Century Studios hasn’t publicly commented on the backlash. Sydney Sweeney brought Euphoria-level drama to the sequel Credit: JoshPopov Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney was set to make a celebrity cameo as herself in The Devil Wears Prada 2, even filming a scene with Emily Blunt. However, earlier this month it was revealed that her part had been scrapped altogether. Sweeney herself has been dealing with her own controversies, including the American Eagle ad debacle, which led to her getting an endorsement from Trump. There was plenty of speculation about whether this was the reason for her being axed, but a source told Entertainment Weekly that the scene just didn’t work with the rest of the film and it was simply a “creative decision.” For some reason, Anne Hathaway is getting dragged after asking for more size diversity on set In a recent interview with Variety, Andy star Anne Hathaway revealed that she made a request to producers to include a variety of different sized models, and for some reason the internet has taken a huge issue with it. Anne Hathaway says she pushed for diverse body types among models in “The Devil Wears Prada 2": “I thought the scene would be so much more enjoyable for the audience if we had a wider range of bodies on display. All different shapes are beautiful.” pic.twitter.com/26GWjsHL0V — Variety (@Variety) April 20, 2026 The conversation came up after The Devil Wears Prada 2 filmed sequences during live runway shows at Milan Fashion Week. “I had noticed that we had beautiful models on set, and a lot of them were more traditionally model-sized,” Hathaway explained. “I knew what the context of the scene was, and I thought the scene would be so much more enjoyable for the audience if we had just a wider range of bodies on display, because all different shapes are beautiful. “I just went to the producers and I asked that question: ‘Don’t you think the scene would be stronger if we had a more inclusive approach to sizing?’ They looked up and were so sad that they hadn’t thought about it. “I think they were so locked in, just kind of going with the flow. But as soon as they saw it, they were the ones who made it happen in like an hour.” However, not everyone saw it in the same way, with some critics accusing Hathaway of being hypocritical or saying it’s missing the point of the original film. “So you’re telling me a 43 year-old didn’t want a bunch of hot 20 year-old models around? Shocking,” wrote one, while another commented, “So why didn’t she just put on 50 lbs of weight herself to be one of the ‘different shapes’ that’s ‘beautiful’? A third added, “Totally missing the point of the satire from the first film.” One went as far as accusing her of being a “mean girl”. But not everyone felt this reaction was warranted, including this person who said, “All this negativity in the replies omg?” For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: 20th Century Studios Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
