Larenz Tate and Nia Long's 'Love Jones'-Inspired Walmart Commercial Sparks Controversy

Who doesn't love nostalgia? Especially during the holiday season. In December 2024, actors Larenz Tate and Nia Long provided fans of their classic 1997 film, Love Jones, with a rush of '90s goodness we didn't know we needed to see under a Christmas backdrop. As someone who says some of the film's iconic lines, such as, "I'm just the blues in your left thigh, trying to be the funk in your right," routinely, I was overjoyed to see the dynamic duo back together for a brief moment.

I wasn't alone in admiring the commercial, as many '90s movie buffs were pleased to see Nia and Larenz back together and finer than ever (I'm still waiting to get the step-by-step skincare routines for both). However, outrage soon overshadowed the excitement, as many were reminded of the company they partnered with, Walmart's 2024 controversy.

Larenz and Nia's commercial for Walmart was an adorable way for them to give fans an early Christmas present. The actors briefly revived their roles as Darius Lovehall and Nina Moses, respectively, for the short yet adorable commercial. In the commercial, Nina, as Darius, picks up a package from Walmart, an Isley Brothers album for them to play on their record player. The scene was a nod to when Darius picked up an Isley Brothers CD and met Nina in a record store in the film.

Fans were also gifted with an Easter Egg that Nina and Darius didn't only make their on-again, off-again relationship work, they have a teenage daughter. To make the scene even cuter, their daughter who, like her mom, is a photographer. STOP IT!!

As cute and calming as it was to see Nina and Darius 27 years later, many viewers familiar with Walmart weren't as excited about the partnership. The commercial, which debuted on Dec. 3, came Walmart confirmed in November 2024 that it will wind down its Center for Racial Equity, which funded programs for minorities per CNBC.

After the announcement, the retail giant also removed some LGBTQ-related merchandise from its website. Many users felt the brand's team was pandering to Black people through the Love Jones commercial.

"Walmart's decision to release the Love Jones commercial while scaling back on their DEI program is crazy work," one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"Walmart announced that they’re rolling those DEI policies back and then pushed out the Love Jones ad to make people happy. Cute," another sarcastically shared.

Walmart decided to cut back its Center for Racial Equity four years after it launched the nonprofit in 2020. The company started the initiative after George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin that year. According to its website, Walmart began it "to address systemic racial inequality in education, criminal justice, finance and health."

However, amid conservative activists attacking companies for their DEI efforts, Walmart decided to scale back its efforts. It joined other retailers, including Tractor Supply, Lowe’s, Ford, and Molson Coors, which also ended their efforts. Walmart also stopped using the words "diversity, equity, and inclusion” or DEI in company documents, employee titles, and employee resource groups.

In a statement discussing the change, Walmart said it is “willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.”

“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers, and suppliers, and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the statement said.

Despite the company's policy changes, some who watched the brand pay homage to Love Jones aren't holding Walmart's decision against Nina and Larenz, who possibly didn't know about them before signing on.