‘This bypassed TWO parents’: Why is there backlash over DJ Envy’s daughter’s Halloween costume?

Another Halloween is over (sob), which for some people means it’s finally okay to decorate for Christmas. Others aren’t ready to let go of ghosts and pumpkins and are enjoying reflecting on this year’s memorable celebrity costumes. And everyone is talking about what DJ Envy‘s daughter wore on Oct. 31.

The host of the radio show The Breakfast Club and his wife Gia Casey are parents of six kids, so needless to say, Halloween must be pretty busy for them! But, while they were likely caught up with trick or treating and/or handing out candy, the Internet has been chatting about their daughter’s costume. Let’s hear what people said.

Why are people upset about DJ Envy’s daughter’s Halloween 2024 costume?

According to Vibe.com, DJ Envy’s daughter dressed up like Lil’ Kim on Halloween. The rapper and his daughter made a video lip-synching to Lil’ Kim’s song “Crush On You,” and people noted that the lyrics are pretty dirty and might not exactly be what kids should be exposed to. Since Brooklyn is only eight years old, people didn’t think she should be wearing this kind of outfit.

As you might have guessed, the comment section of the Instagram account @theneighborhoodtalk, which posted the video, featured a lot of upset people. Comments ranged from “why his wife couldn’t be lil Kim?” to “this bypassed TWO parents” to “Wildly inappropriate.” People also posted about the costume on X. One wrote that parents should choose costumes like “Ariel, Barbie, Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman, etc.” They added, “We love Lil Kim, but leave those Halloween tributes to the ADULTS.” Some of the criticism went a bit too far, however. Justin Gaethje used this costume as an excuse to share his support for J.D. Vance and Donald Trump (ugh).

Although DJ Envy hasn’t shared his own perspective on people’s reactions to Brooklyn’s Lil’ Kim costume, he has said in the past that he doesn’t want people to discuss his kids and his wife. In 2018, Desus & Mero were interviewed on The Breakfast Club, and DJ Envy wasn’t happy when they mentioned that he and Casey went on The Real to talk about when he was unfaithful. Erica Mena, who once starred on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, explained that she wasn’t aware DJ Envy was married when they were together. DJ Envy told Desus & Mero, “Make fun of me all you want, but when it comes to wife and kids, there is no ‘but.’ You can play like that, but I don’t play like that.”

I don’t envy (no pun intended… really) celebrities who are parenting in the public eye. You seriously can’t win and people are always going to judge you, whether you choose to use formula, are okay with giving your one-year-old sugar, or commit any number of so-called parenting sins. I wouldn’t put it past some people to say mean things about a kid’s costume when there’s honestly nothing wrong with it. In this case, though, it’s easy to understand why people wondered about the appropriateness of this costume.

As one X user suggested, there’s nothing wrong with being a princess. What about a Pixar or Disney character? In 2023, 2 million kids chose princess costumes, 1.5 million were superheroes, and 2.6 million were Spider-Man. It might not be super original, but these beloved kids’ costumes are classics for a reason.