Renowned New Yorker writer and social media personality Jia Tolentino, celebrated for her incisive critiques of capitalism, has recently found herself in hot water with her progressive audience. The controversy stems from her decision to engage in a paid partnership with Airbnb, a move that has sparked accusations of hypocrisy.
On October 14, Tolentino, who commands an Instagram following of 125,000, surprised her audience by announcing her collaboration with the Silicon Valley giant. She acknowledged breaking what she described as a “previously RIGID personal sponcon ban” to embark on this venture with Airbnb.
This announcement did not sit well with many of her fans and fellow progressive writers. They criticized Tolentino for her perceived inconsistency in supporting Palestinian causes while partnering with Airbnb—a company listed under the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement due to its business ties with Israel.
When approached by the Daily Mail for comments, Tolentino declined to elaborate, simply stating: “I am not going to give comment to the Daily Mail, but I wish you the best of luck.” Notably, she has since removed the Instagram post that initially revealed the partnership.
The collaboration entails a unique opportunity for fans to join Tolentino on four Monday evenings in November at the McNally Jackson bookstore in downtown Brooklyn, New York. Airbnb has secured the entire venue for these exclusive gatherings.
Each session is slated to accommodate eight participants over a two-hour period, priced at a reasonable $65 per person. The financial details of Tolentino’s compensation for this association remain undisclosed. However, demand appears high, as the first session on November 3 has reportedly sold out, as per the Airbnb event page.
Before it was deleted, Tolentino’s announcement on Instagram appeared right next to a video post nine weeks ago where she committed to a fast organized by Parents Fast for Gaza.
In the video, she said she would be doing a ’24 hour water-only fast’ as a form of ‘spiritual attonement’ for ‘living a life of unfathomable safety and comfort’ as Gazans were being starved and killed by the thousands.
Jia Tolentino is a writer for the New Yorker who has built a large social media following through her anti-capitalist work
On October 14, Tolentino announced a partnership with Airbnb in a now-deleted Instagram post which caused massive backlash from her fans
Towards the end of the video, she said: ‘The discomfort I have felt spiritually for so long – its feels kind of like an obligation to feel it physically now just for a minute. To take on the most miniscule connection to the suffering that each of us is responsible for, in a way, simply by being an American.’
Tolentino also discussed what she called a ‘moral black hole’ among American companies in the face of the war. The contrast between that post and her very next one announcing a corporate sponsorship gave fans and colleagues whiplash.
Sarah Manavis, a writer for the progressive publication The Observer, wrote a piece for her Substack poignantly titled: ‘Playing dumb: on the price of our integrity.‘
In the article, Manavis pointed out that Airbnb is on the BDS list and accused it of contributing to the global housing crisis. She also highlighted that the company has been accused of ‘eroding worker and tenant protections – including by Tolentino herself in 2015.’
Phoebe Maltz Bovy, another progressive writer and cultural critic, wrote a piece for The Canadian Jewish News which made similar critiques.
She wrote: ‘Tolentino claims to be pro-Palestine (and she does, it’s right there on her Instagram) yet sponcons for a company that BDS disapproves of.’
Maltz Bovy did go on to give Tolentino a little grace, writing that the anti-capitalist author ‘has bills to pay… and her disappointed pseudo-fans aren’t paying her.’
But Tolentino’s followers on Instagram did not extend that same understanding, with the top comment saying: ‘Constant cultural commentary on the commodification of everything and then this?’
Airbnb rented out the entire McNally Jackson bookstore for four Monday evenings in November for Tolentino to host events with her fans
Another comment said: ‘An Airbnb ad right after a post promoting @parentsfast4gaza is kinda crazy but get that bag i guess.’
A third chimed in: ‘I get that everyone’s gotta pay bills, but was Airbnb really the best Sponcon option you had? Were the others Exxon Mobile and Tesla?’
A fourth said: ‘I trust that you will reconsider this given your support for Palestine!’
Right below that, a commenter wrote: ‘Please boycott Airbnb for Palestine.’
Another wrote: ‘AirBnB is on the BDS list.’
One user simply said: ‘Yikes.’
Another simple comment said: ‘heartbreaking.’
Many others also pointed out that Airbnb is on the BDS list and the absurdity of the partnership coming off the prior fast announcement. Of the 150 or so comments on the now-deleted post, the vast majority were negative.
Thus far, Tolentino has not publicly responded to the criticisms, and Airbnb did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
