Former Essence CEO Caroline Wanga Sues Over Festival Backlash

Caroline Wanga has filed a defamation lawsuit against Essence Ventures and Sundial Media & Technology Group, alleging the companies knowingly allowed her to be scapegoated for the failures of the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture despite her having resigned months before the event took place.

Wanga, who served as CEO of Essence Ventures from 2020 until March 2025, claims the firms refused to clarify her lack of involvement in the festival’s planning. Although she had been on leave since September 2024 and finalized her departure by March 31, 2025, she agreed to a request from leadership to delay the public announcement until after the July event. This timing created a public perception that she remained at the helm during the festival’s widely criticized execution.

The resulting backlash focused on the event’s "Pan-African" thematic shift and the inclusion of Target Corporation as a sponsor, decisions Wanga asserts were not hers. According to the complaint filed in New York State Court, she and her legal counsel repeatedly urged Sundial Founder Richelieu Dennis and CEO Kirk McDonald to correct the record as personal threats against her and her family mounted. The companies did not announce her departure until August 25, 2025, a statement Wanga’s legal team argues effectively condoned the false narrative that she had orchestrated the controversial programming. Her lead counsel, Larry Schaefer, stated the litigation seeks to hold the organizations accountable for sacrificing her professional reputation to protect their own interests.