TikTok-famous ‘Chef Way’ resigns from DA’s office over racist tweets about Black women

Chef Way of TikTok fame has left the Harris County District Attorney’s Office following criticism and mounting pressure over resurfaced offensive tweets about Black women with dark skin.

The Houston-based chef and prosecutor — born Waymond Wesley II — posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram account Tuesday, The Houston Chronicle reported, in which he announced his resignation, shared details of his rehabilitation and expressed regret to Black women.

Wesley acknowledged that it’s been a “painful” time for many people but said he has wanted to express his regret and provide context since the offensive remarks first went viral.

“Seven years ago, in my early twenties, from a place of pain fueled by alcoholism, I would lash out at people on Twitter to seek attention, including Black women,” Wesley wrote. “I deeply regret and am sorry for my tweets.”

Wesley claimed he had a severe alcohol addiction, was underweight and sleep-deprived, and ultimately spent 19 months in residential and inpatient treatment centers for his illness. He allegedly relapsed three times before getting sober on October 2, 2016.

“By God’s grace, l’ve been sober for more than 6 years now,” Wesley continued, referring to alcoholism as a “disease” that nearly killed him. “I am not the man I was [in] 2015.”

According to The Chronicle, Wesley posted many hateful tweets using the now-defunct @WaymoTheGod account, many of which targeted Black women with dark skin. In one tweet from 2015, Wesley opined, “I see no difference,” comparing a Black woman to a trash landfill.

“On Twitter from 2015-2016, there was a sick trend that targeted and trolled Black women to gain attention and followers,” Wesley said in his statement Tuesday. “Unfortunately, I joined this trend. Alcoholism destroyed me mentally, spiritually, and physically. I do not hate Black women. I have never hated Black women.”

In the Instagram post, Wesley condemned a fake tweet he said was falsely attributed to him, which refers to Black women as a punching bag. He asserted that Latry Howard, the tweet’s author, had personally apologized.

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A post shared by Chef Way (@chefway__)

“I do not condone violence against anyone,” Wesley said in his statement, “especially Black women.”

His now-deleted Twitter account and its contents were unknown to the Harris County DA’s office before the backlash, according to Joe Stinebaker, its director of communications, even though the agency’s background checks involve reviewing active and public social media accounts, theGrio previously reported.

Kim Ogg, the district attorney for Harris County, indicated in a previous statement that she was standing by Wesley in the wake of the recent backlash. While she acknowledged that the nearly seven-year-old remarks were inappropriate and offensive, Ogg said she believed in second chances.

“Although the leadership at the DA’s office and I believed a path forward was possible at the outset of this situation, it has grown clear that my presence is becoming a distraction,” Wesley said in his statement. “But once I saw that my presence at the DA’s Office was becoming larger than the office itself and the ability of Black women, in particular, to feel protected, I knew the only correct course of action was to resign and allow the healing process to begin.”

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