Khloé Kardashian's Reaction To Someone Calling Out Her Darker Skin Tone On Viral Billboard Is Getting Some Major Side-Eye

Khloé Kardashian is trending again, but this time it’s not about a new launch—it’s about how she looks in it. A viral billboard for her Khloud “protein chips” has people pausing, zooming in, and asking the same question: since when does Khloé look like that?

The conversation quickly moved past curiosity once viewers began calling out her darker, tanned appearance.

You can view the ad in question here:

And yes, social media had plenty to say. Some viewers even joked they had to do a double take, asking when Beyoncé started repping protein chips, and whether this was somehow tied to Act III.

But the conversation didn’t stay light for long. As the clip continued to circulate, several people began accusing Khloé of “Blackfishing.”

A Reddit user who reacted to the viral image didn’t mince words:

“This isn’t even black fishing at this point; that’s an identity crisis!”

Coined by journalist Wanna Thompson in 2018, the term refers to white public figures using makeup, tanning, hairstyling, or editing to appear racially ambiguous or Black—often drawing criticism as a form of cultural appropriation tied to image, influence, and financial gain.

For many viewers, the backlash wasn’t just about one billboard but pointed to a broader pattern. Khloé has faced similar criticism before, including in 2023 when her complexion drew attention during a Bratz doll Halloween costume photo op.

View the group photo evidence here:

For those wondering, yes, Khloé is the yellow Bratz girlie. The conversation picked up even more steam on TikTok, where user @withsamu responded to the billboard, describing Khloé as Black.

You can watch the literal shady shade reaction here:

The video quickly racked up responses, with commenters once again drawing comparisons between Khloé and several Black celebrities—underscoring just how familiar this conversation has become.

And amid the growing debate, Khloé entered the chat herself.

“I’m crying 😂😂😂 what is going on 😩🤭.”

Her response only added fuel to the conversation.

For critics, that lighthearted reaction underscores a real and recurring frustration over the fact that concerns like these are often treated as jokes rather than part of a larger, ongoing conversation. Others, however, continued to compliment her appearance, highlighting a clear divide in how the moment is being received.

The reactions came in fast, not surprisingly:

u/NumbToIt579/Reddit

u/officialdiscoking/Reddit

u/riskapanda/Reddit

u/ReactionFriendly1957/Reddit

u/headassincorporated/Reddit

u/adiggins1024/Reddit

u/Professional_Pass900/Reddit

@dollnaldtrump/TikTok

@ozarksaint/TIkTok

@albertoutspoken/TikTok

@jennateee5/TikTok

@jeanjacket2021/TikTok

Criticism around “blackfishing” isn’t new for the Kardashian-Jenner family. Both Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian have repeatedly faced scrutiny over their use of tanning and styling choices that critics argue borrow heavily from Black aesthetics, often without engaging with the cultural context behind them.

Gender and Cultural Studies professor Meredith Jones offered an analysis of Kim Kardashian’s influence:

“Kim capitalized on this trend by straddling established white forms of beauty and adopting select Black ones. One could argue that she used her cultural and financial capital to play at surplus citizenship, particularly in a Black sense, in a moment when Blackness was fashionable, increasing her wealth and fame before discarding it bodily and fading back to white, and therefore reverting to a comfortable neutral citizenship.”

In a 2021 interview with i-D Magazine, Kim Kardashian responded to the criticism:

“I would never do anything to appropriate any culture. But I have in the past got backlash from putting my hair in braids and I understand that."

"Honestly, a lot of the time it comes from my daughter [North] asking us to do matching hair. And I’ve had these conversations with her that are like, ‘Hey, maybe this hairstyle would be better on you and not on me.’”

That response feels even more relevant now as Khloé faces similar criticism, and it raises questions about whether these concerns are being acknowledged or brushed aside.