Biggest QVC Controversies: Lawsuits, False Ad Claims & One Notorious Email

Is QVC long for this world? Alongside HSN, the network popularized home shopping at the end of the 20th century. But QVC Group, which owns both QVC and HSN, declared bankruptcy this April, and even though QVC Group exited Chapter 11 reorganization in August, doubts about the company’s long-term viability remain.

“They’re still not in a position that they can easily pivot or grow, and that’s why very rarely do you see a company that has declared some form of bankruptcy once come back and rise like a phoenix out of the ashes,” Sucharita Kodali, principal analyst at market research company Forrester, told the Philadelphia Business Journal this month. “They’re alive, but they will often declare bankruptcy again or just die a slow death.”

Bankruptcy has just been one challenge for QVC in its four-decade history. Detailed below are what we consider the home shopping channel’s biggest controversies to date, ones that make a certain NSFW flub look like small potatoes.

1998: Former QVC hosts sue the network, claiming discrimination

In 1998, former QVC hosts Victor Velez and Gwen Owens sued QVC in federal court in New York, seeking $100 million in damages, per the Tampa Bay Times. Velez and Owens alleged QVC discriminated against hosts of color by paying them less and relegating them to overnight shifts, the newspaper reported. A QVC spokesperson denied the allegation of overnight-shift banishing.

A 2006 judgment favored QVC in the claims regarding hostile work environment, work assignment discrimination, retaliation, and gender-based compensation discrimination, and the claim that one plaintiff was terminated for racially-motivated reasons ended with a mistrial, according to Direct Message News. But the plaintiffs did receive $67,537 for Equal Pay Act violations, the outlet added.

2004: Federal Trade Commission accuses QVC of false advertising

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against QVC in 2004, accusing the network of false advertising of For Women Only weight-loss products such as zero-fat and zero-carb pills, according to the Associated Press. The FTC also alleged QVC made unsubstantiated claims about Lite Bites “fat-fighting bars” and other products for weight loss or energy boost, the AP reported.

In a statement at the time, then-QVC president and CEO Doug Briggs said the network “work[ed] extraordinarily hard to make sure that our 24-hour live broadcasting meets the highest possible standards of truthfulness.”

Five years later, QVC agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle the FTC charges, as the commission announced at the time. “QVC aired ads that weren’t true and violated an FTC order,” said Eileen Harrington, then the acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Simply put, we aren’t going to let QVC get away with this. The company is responsible for the product claims made on its programs, and we expect that going forward, QVC will do a better job for its audience and make sure that its programs are truthful and not deceptive.”

2013: QVC drops Paula Deen after she admits to past usage of racial slur

QVC got caught up in Paula Deen’s 2013 scandal, which arose from a deposition in which the TV chef admitted to having used a racial slur in the past. Joining Target, Home Depot, and Walmart, QVC cut ties with Deen following the revelation, according to ABC News.

In a message to her QVC customers, Deen wrote, “As you know, I have some important things to work on right now, both personally and professionally. And so we’ve agreed that it’s best for me to step back from QVC and focus on setting things right. I am truly sorry and assure you I will work hard to earn your forgiveness.”

Mike George, then the CEO and president of QVC, said in a statement that the company was “taking a pause” on hosting Deen on air or selling her products online. “We all think it’s important, at this moment, for Paula to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and on her path forward,” George added.

2022: QVC lays off more than 1,900 employees after deadly North Carolina warehouse fire

QVC announced in 2022 it would lay off more than 1,900 people at its warehouse in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, according to WRAL News. “[Employees at the warehouse are] kind of mind-boggled. They don’t know what to do,” QVC worker Bruce Avent told the outlet. “Everybody was kind of complacent where they were and content with the job they had. Looking for another job wasn’t on anybody’s mind, so it came as a complete shock to everyone.”

That layoff news came weeks after a five-alarm fire destroyed 75 percent of the warehouse. A 21-year-old worker was also found dead after the fire, WRAL News added. Later, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and QVC offered a total of $20,000 reward money for information into the blaze’s cause, WRAL News reported.

2024: QVC apologizes for offensive email

In 2024, QVC apologized after sending out a marketing email with the subject line “You’ll love this bag long time,” a paraphrasing of a phrase used to demean Asian women for decades, NBC News reported. Customers found the email offensive, and QVC president Mike Fitzharris quickly apologized.

“Earlier today, you received a marketing email for our Today’s Special Value that used derogatory language that is offensive, particularly to the Asian community and women, in the subject line,” Fitzharris said in a follow-up email. “I am personally sending this email because I want to apologize deeply that this happened. It runs counter to our values and principles as an organization and is in no way reflective of our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, something that makes us stronger as an organization.”

2026: Antthony Mark Hankins sues QVC, alleging unjustified termination

Fashion designer Antthony Mark Hankins sued QVC and parent company QVC Group for $30 million in federal court in 2026, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. In court documents, Hankins’ attorneys alleged his 31-year-old home shopping career came to an end at QVC in 2025 in an “abrupt and unjustified termination” that “reflects a pattern of discriminatory treatment, retaliatory conduct, and operational mismanagement.”

Hankins also alleged QVC discriminated against him based on race, including by promoting him more during Black History Month before pulling him off air despite a decades-long record of strong performance, the lawsuit added. And Hankins alleged breach of contract, defamation, interference with third-party business relationships, and misappropriation of his name and likeness in advertisements.

Six months later, Hankins said in a press release that his lawsuit was still pending amid QVC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. “From the beginning, I have believed in allowing the facts to be presented through the courts,” he said. “I remain committed to protecting my work, my business, and the legacy I spent more than three decades building.”