Jamie Azzopardi didn’t hold back on Tuesday night as he attended a star-studded event in Sydney.
When the celebrity stylist spotted ‘fake celebrity’ Suzan Mutesi at the same hype, he told Chron Australia he’d like to ‘shove her in the pool’.
The pair have been embroiled in a feud for several weeks after Azzopardi hinted that Mutesi’s Instagram followers could be “fake”.
Jamie Azzopardi (pictured) didn’t hold back on Tuesday night as he attended a star-studded event in Sydney
Mutesi quickly clapped back at the rumors, telling the Chron Australia at the event: “Ask around, I have nothing to hide. Ever since I was a little girl we’ve worked damn hard. Remember it.
“I have a book that will scream my truth. I work hard, from the age of 18. I’ve been here a damn long time. I’m not 18, I’m 36,” she continued.
“I had 36 years to get everything right. I understand where I am.’
When the celebrity stylist spotted “fake celebrity” Suzan Mutesi (pictured) at the same event, he told Chron Australia he’d happily “shove her in the pool”.
Turning to Azzopardi, Mutesi said: “Stop bullying black women to stand up. It’s pathetic.
“It is disrespectful to every black African woman who has come to this country. If that’s your joy, yes, do it, I don’t care. I honestly don’t care.
“But I’m a black woman and I represent a lot of black women out there. ‘
Mutesi has battled wild claims that she is a “sham socialite” who inflated her popularity with “fake” Instagram followers.
She has been accused of feigning a “celebrity lifestyle” to gain access to red carpet events, sponsorships and media appearances – including a recent appearance on Channel 10 series The Challenge.
The couple were embroiled in a feud a few weeks after Azzopardi suggested Mutesi’s Instagram followers could be “fake”.
After months of whispering about her credibility, Azzopardi, a celebrity Sydney stylist who has known Mutesi for years, opened the floodgates by giving the So Dramatic podcast an in-depth interview about her.
“It fascinates me how she’s gone from 200,000 pre-lockdown followers to 1.2 million and starred on a reality TV show where she’s representative of influencers,” he said.
According to Azzopardi, publicly available stats on Social Blade, a website that tracks analytical information for social media platforms, show that she “bought 75,000 followers” ahead of Sydney Fashion Week – and “challenged” Mutesi to prove him wrong .
He also claimed Mutesi bought automated comments, views and likes to try and match her Instagram engagement with her inflated follower count, a claim she denied to Chron Australia.
Mutesi quickly clapped back at the rumors, telling the Chron Australia at the event: “Ask around, I have nothing to hide. Ever since I was a little girl we’ve worked damn hard. Remember it’
“Just share your insights and I’ll stop talking. I admit I’m wrong, I don’t do it very often, but I will publicly say I was wrong,” Azzopardi told the podcast.
Speaking to Chron Australia last month, an emotional Mutesi denied buying followers, saying her numbers are so high because she is a “doer”.
Mutesi dismissed all of Azzopardi’s claims and denied that she was misleading brands with her viewership numbers.
The Sydney-based influencer, who credits herself as an “actress and best award-winning author” on Instagram, said she’s “pushing hard” and that her large following is because she’s been around for a long time.
“I have a book that will scream my truth. I work hard, from the age of 18. I’ve been here a damn long time. I’m not 18, I’m 36,” she continued. “I had 36 years to get everything right. I understand where I am’
“Before I moved to Australia I worked as a fashion designer. I have traveled the world. I have items in Nigeria. I sing too,” explained Mutesi.
“I’ve worked internationally with international artists, not just in Africa,” she added.
“It saddens me to hear such words. These ridiculous claims are sad and pathetic and very childish,” Mutesi said of Azzopardi’s allegations.
Mutesi’s manager at Sydney PR agency Markson Sparks has also issued a statement dismissing the “fake celebrity” claims.
“Suzan stars in a major national reality show The Challenge on Channel 10 and has had an outstanding career over the past 12 years,” they told Chron Australia.
According to Azzopardi, publicly available stats on Social Blade, a website that tracks analytical information for social media platforms, show that she “bought 75,000 followers” ahead of Sydney Fashion Week – and “challenged” Mutesi to prove him wrong
“Suzan starred in Ruby’s Choice alongside Jane Seymour earlier this year, she is an author with a second book coming out in 2023. She is also a fashion influencer, model and very popular on social media.
“Suzan has a huge fan base and I’m really proud to be her manager. Thank you for your recent enquiry. It’s #fakenews.’
While Chron Australia doesn’t suggest that Mutesi necessarily paid for her followers, a report by HypeAuditor reveals that just 45.25 per cent of her followers “look authentic”.
Mutesi’s manager at Sydney PR agency Markson Sparks has also issued a statement dismissing the “fake celebrity” claims