Cole Walliser.
Photo: Roger Kisby/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images

After denying that J.Lo was disrespectful to him at the Golden Globes earlier this month, Glambot director Cole Walliser is now addressing claims that he himself has been rude to others. “I want to talk about some emails that I sent years ago that resurfaced recently. The tone in these emails was dismissive and curt and that is not okay,” Walliser acknowledged in a January 27 Instagram video. “In 2019, I didn’t have a team around me. It was just myself. I edited every single video. I answered every single email, and I was overwhelmed. But that is not an excuse — everything lands on me.”

The cameraman became the focus of the internet’s attention last week after a Black woman tweeted purported screenshots of an 11-email exchange from 2019 in which she inquired about booking a Glambot for her wedding, and Walliser appeared to doubt that she could afford the service. In his video, Walliser said that being “labeled racist” has been the hardest part of the backlash for him. “I’m half-Chinese and growing up, issues of identity, race, and belonging deeply affected me and I would never intend to inflict that onto anybody else,” he said. “But I do understand that reading these emails, people could be upset, and assume bias, especially given the frequency at which people of color can experience being dismissed, and so I take responsibility for my words, irregardless of what my intent was.”

Scrutiny on Walliser also increased after Drag Race stars Morphine Love Dion, Kori King, and Hormona Lisa suggested in tweets that he and his team had been rude to them at the Emmys. In his video, Walliser acknowledged concerns that people have felt dismissed or “treated [as] less than” on red carpets. “Live events move really fast and I would never want someone to come see me and leave feeling that way,” he asserted. “But I do understand that it could happen and it did happen, and for that I am sorry.” Walliser ended his video by stating that he always wants to treat people with the respect they deserve, but “clearly” can do better and will work to improve. If the Glambot shows up at the Grammys next week, we’re guessing Walliser will be on his best behavior. Maybe this time he can leave the ChatGPT captions at home?

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