A Boston woman’s recent comments have stirred controversy after a resurfaced video revealed her referring to a Haitian migrant she welcomed into her home as “her own personal chef.”
Lisa Hillenbrand, 68, extended her generosity to Wildande Joseph, her husband, and their young daughter by offering them a place to stay in her $1.05 million Brookline condo in February 2024. The family had been struggling to secure stable housing.
Prior to connecting with Hillenbrand, the family endured challenging conditions, sleeping on the floor at Boston Logan International Airport and later seeking refuge in a children’s hospital when their then two-year-old daughter fell seriously ill, as Wildande recounted to NBC 10 Boston.
The original story gained significant attention during a period marked by escalating violence in Haiti, with criminal gangs led by ex-police officer Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier wreaking havoc across the nation.
Fast forward two years, and the broadcast featuring Hillenbrand and the family has resurfaced, drawing renewed interest—but this time for different reasons.
In the newly circulated clip, Hillenbrand, an author, remarked that having the family in her home was advantageous for her, particularly because of the mother’s culinary skills.
‘It’s a delight, and it’s really fun having them. What I realized is there’s so much prejudice against refugees mostly because people don’t know them,’ she told the outlet.
The video then panned to Wildande preparing a meal in the kitchen as the reporter said Hillenbrand ‘feels like she has her own personal chef.’
Lisa Hillenbrand, 68, welcomed a Haitian family into her Boston home in 2024. A clip of her life with them has since resurfaced online, causing an uproar on social media
Wildande Joseph, her husband and their young daughter moved into the author’s condo after struggling to find a place to call home. During their time there, the mother would often cook for the four of them
In recent days, the clip has gone viral on social media, leaving many users claiming Hillenbrand’s praise for having a chef in the home mimics her allegedly being proud of having her own personal ‘servant’ or ‘slave.’
‘It is so odd how anyone could do this and not see the historical parallels,’ an X user commented.
‘Proud slave owner…cool,’ another wrote as someone else accused Hillenbrand of having ‘toxic empathy’ for the migrant family.
‘Wow just wow,’ an Instagram user chimed in.
‘WTF…does she hear herself,’ another posted.
While many people criticized Hillenbrand, others supported her choice to welcome the young family under her roof, especially after Wildande said she dreamed of opening up her own restaurant one day.
‘At least she didn’t just virtue signal and actually took people in and if the woman chooses to freely cook everyday then I don’t see anything wrong with this scenario,’ one Instagram user said.
An X user posted: ‘Wildonde loves cooking!!!’
Another shared: ‘Why does everything have to be seen through a racial prism? If the lady was an Irish migrant with the same arrangement, no one would bat an eye.’
Two years later, Hillenbrand has been accused of allegedly being proud of having a ‘slave’ or ‘servant’ in her home who cooks for her
Others supported the homeowner’s choice to welcome the young family under her roof, especially after Wildande said she dreamed of opening up her own restaurant one day
‘If all agree, I don’t see a reason to get upset about it,’ someone else stated.
It is unclear if Wildonde and her family still live with the homeowner in Boston.
The Daily Mail contacted Hillenbrand for comment.
Wildonde and her family were welcomed into Hillenbrand’s home when some 300,000 Haitians fled to the US to get away from the surge in violence in their home country.
At the time, former President Joe Biden granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian migrants, allowing them to legally reside and work in America.
TPS is still active and has granted citizenship to nearly 1.3 million people as of 2025.
The Trump administration attempted to terminate the program all together for countries like Venezuela and Haiti, but federal judges blocked those actions.
