Kelleth Cuthbert (er, sorry...Kelly Steinbach), also known as Fiji Water Girl after she owned probably the most “IDGAF” publicity stunt of the decade at the Golden Globes, is now suing Fiji Water, because of course she is.
At the Globes, Cuthbert -- hired by the water company to stand on the sidelines, handing out water -- successfully photobombed a number of celeb red carpet photos, making it into headlines even before the award winners did. The stunt mostly drew laughs and a wary appreciation for Cuthbert’s moxie, but she also faced some backlash -- notably from Jamie Lee Curtis, who I would decidedly never want to piss off.
Now, Cuthbert is attacking Fiji Water on claims that the company is using her likeness for unauthorized marketing campaigns. The suit has been filed in Los Angeles Supreme Court under the allegations that a cardboard cutout of Cuthbert was used the day after the Golden Globes without prior discussion with her agent.
Cuthbert also alleges that the company tried to entice her to sign her rights away to them with gifts and light bribery.
Fiji Water issued a statement regarding the lawsuit, calling it “frivolous and entirely without merit” and asserting that they negotiated a “generous” agreement with Cuthbert, that she then violated, following the “social media moment.”
Oh, is that what we’re calling it now?
Let’s be real -- Cuthbert wants some dough. The 31-year-old is an amateur model and has landed a couple of small-scale acting gigs (like a one-episode arc on “The Bold and the Beautiful”) since her virality to get herself in the spotlight. She’s also partnering with Inside Edition as a Super Bowl “reporter” and was on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”
It’s not a secret that she’s milking the sh*t out of this random publicity.
“I just have to sift through everything and figure out what offers are good, but I definitely would love to do more acting, more modeling and just to be really busy -- really productive,” she told TIME.
She says herself that she’s been fielding offers since the Globes, and I don’t think I’m jumping to a far conclusion in saying that homegirl loves the attention. But, you know -- do you! Who are we to condemn a woman for hustling in any way she can? A petty lawsuit just might be going a little too far.