Wendy’s Canada is the latest brand to show its support for Lisa LaFlamme after CTV News fired the host after 35 years with the network. On Thursday, the restaurant chain tweeted a new profile picture with its mascot sporting gray hair instead of its iconic red pigtails. “Because a ⭐️ is a ⭐️ regardless of hair color,” the brand wrote, before mentioning Ms. LaFlamme in a hashtag. Shortly after the former anchor’s firing was announced, a senior CTV official said that Michael Melling, head of CTV News, had raised questions about Ms. LaFlamme’s hair on several occasions — asking who had approved the decision “to go gray of Lisa”. meeting. CTV’s parent company, Bell Media, said the removal of Ms. LaFlamme was a business decision to accommodate changing viewership habits, though it did not elaborate. It has since announced an independent review of its newsroom. More than a week after the news broke, discussions about sexism and ageism in the workplace continue to take place on social media. Now, major brands are joining the conversation to show their support for the former host and others who choose not to hide their gray hair. On Sunday, Dove Canada launched a marketing campaign called #KeepTheGrey to support women being able to age “on their own terms.” “Women with gray hair are being ostracized from the workplace,” the beauty brand wrote on its social media channels, before encouraging followers to turn their profile pictures to greyscale to join the campaign. On Thursday, Dove responded to Wendy’s new photo, tweeting “Looking beautiful Wendy!” Ms. LaFlamme, who has been the face of CTV’s national broadcast since 2011, posted a two-minute video on Twitter on Aug. 15 in which she said she was told on June 29 that the network was terminating her contract. “I’m still shocked and saddened,” she said. “At 58, I still thought I would have much more time to tell more of the stories that affect our daily lives. Instead, I leave CTV humbled by the people who believed in me to tell their story.” Omar Sachedina will replace Ms. LaFlamme on September 5th. Mr. Sachedina is a national affairs correspondent for CTV News who joined the network in 2009. Our Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
