Ex-ESSENCE CEO Alleges Smear Campaign For Festival 'Failure'

Former ESSENCE Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga is alleging she was unfairly blamed and publicly defamed following the widely criticized 2025 edition of Essence Festival, according to her complaint filed on June 11 with the New York State Supreme Court. 

What’s inside Former ESSENCE Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga’s complaint?

In her filing against ESSENCE Ventures and its parent company, Sundial Media & Technology Group, Wanga explained that she was hired as CEO of ESSENCE Ventures in June 2020. She later took a health-related leave of absence beginning in September 2024 and remained on leave until she officially stepped down from her role in March 2025. The complaint states that she and the company had agreed to jointly announce her departure after the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, which took place on July 4, 2025. Wanga had already separated from the company before the announcement, but claims she suffered from defamation due to the “unsuccessful” nature of the event, before her official resignation could be announced.

Last year, ESSENCE Festival faced criticism over production challenges, its partnership with Target, and a shift toward more Pan-African programming, resulting in what some festival goers complained was an “erosion of the festival’s Black American focus,” according to Ebony.

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Although Wanga was not involved in any aspect of planning or executing the festival, she was still publicly identified as CEO at the time. As backlash around the event intensified, the complaint alleges she became the target of public blame, including threats and the spread of false statements about her role.

According to her filing, Wanga claims that ESSENCE Ventures allegedly remained silent as criticism of her grew surrounding the festival. Beginning in July 2025, Wanga said she allegedly made multiple requests to company leadership asking them to clarify that she had not participated in the festival, that she had been on a health-related leave, and that neither her heritage nor her prior employment had any connection to the festival’s programming or sponsorships. Friends, colleagues, and supporters reportedly made similar requests.

Despite those efforts, the complaint claims that when ESSENCE Ventures announced her departure in August 2025, it intentionally left out those details. 

“This intentional omission contributed to the false narrative that was spreading, and enabled the public to continue to hold Ms. Wanga responsible for the failure of the festival,” the complaint states.

Caroline Wanga claims she lost multiple business deals due to the festival’s backlash.

Wanga alleges she has suffered significant reputational, emotional, and financial harm as a result of the festival and its aftermath. She claims that her company WangaWoman lost several prospective clients and partnerships after the event, with some specifically citing the festival or surrounding “drama” as their reason for pulling out. According to the complaint, some of the lost deals allegedly include agreements with African Braintrust ($15,000), Neill Corporation ($29,250), Dollar Tree ($40,000), and Harlem Fashion Week ($15,000), all scheduled to close on Sept. 4.

She is seeking damages for defamation by implication, including presumed, actual, special, and compensatory damages to be determined at trial, as well as punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, pre- and post-judgment interest, and any other relief the court deems appropriate.

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