Ulta has had a few different “what happened with Ulta” moments, but the one people most often mean is the Kate Spade email controversy, though right now most current chatter is actually about Ulta Beauty World 2026 selling out and recent event news. Below is a quick, story-style rundown.

Quick Scoop

  • In 2022, Ulta sent a promotional email for Kate Spade products with the subject line “Come hang with Kate Spade,” which many found deeply hurtful because Kate Spade died by suicide by hanging in 2018.
  • The subject line sparked outrage across social media and beauty forums, with many calling the wording “tone-deaf” and “impossible that no one caught it.”
  • Ulta issued an apology afterward, but some PR and marketing commentators criticized it as coming too late and being an avoidable mistake.

The Kate Spade Email Incident

In spring 2022, Ulta ran an email campaign to promote its Kate Spade fragrance and accessories. The subject line reportedly read something like “Come hang with Kate Spade,” which, in a vacuum, sounds like a playful fashion invite.

The problem is that Kate Spade died by suicide by hanging, and many customers were immediately stunned that this wording got approved for a mass email. On Reddit, users described their “jaw hitting the floor” and said they “couldn’t fathom how this slipped through” any review process.

“I’m just a random mom with no social media except Reddit, and I knew.”

That comment captures why so many people felt it couldn’t just be brushed off as a tiny oversight.

How People Reacted Online

Reactions broke down into a few main themes on forums:

  • Shock and disbelief
    • Many users said they initially thought the screenshot was fake until they checked their own inbox.
* Others described feeling physically sick or like their “stomach dropped” when they saw the subject line.
  • Questioning Ulta’s internal controls
    • Commenters asked how a full marketing team, plus leadership, could approve copy that casually used “hang” with Kate Spade’s name, given the known circumstances of her death.
* Some framed it as a symptom of rushed marketing cycles and underpaid teams, saying Ulta “doesn’t hire the best” and their emails often have sloppy errors.
  • Debate over intent
    • Most people did not believe it was deliberate; instead, they saw it as extremely careless and insensitive.
* A few users speculated about whether younger staff or people unfamiliar with celebrity news simply didn’t make the connection, but even those commenters still felt it should have been caught by someone.

Ulta’s Apology And PR Fallout

Ulta eventually issued an apology acknowledging that the Kate Spade email subject line was inappropriate and hurtful. Crisis-communications takes on the situation argued that the company responded about a day later than it should have and that the incident was a textbook example of why brands need stronger sensitivity checks in marketing.

Key lessons PR professionals drew from it:

  • Brands must have formal review layers for language around mental health, self-harm, and known tragedies.
  • Using more respectful language such as “died by suicide” rather than older phrases is increasingly viewed as a basic standard.
  • When a mistake directly touches on suicide, companies should respond quickly, clearly, and with visible accountability, not just a low-profile statement.

While the controversy hurt Ulta’s image in the short term, it did not sink the company; Ulta has remained a dominant beauty retailer and continued expanding events and partnerships afterward.

What’s Happening With Ulta Right Now

If your “what happened with Ulta” is more about current buzz than old drama, the big 2026 talking point is Ulta Beauty World:

  • Ulta Beauty World 2026 is a large, ticketed beauty expo in Orlando with 200+ brands, tutorials, and a big “beauty festival” vibe.
  • Tickets for the 2026 event reportedly sold out very quickly (in just over an hour), reinforcing Ulta’s strong fan base despite past missteps.

So in short:

  • The controversy people still reference: the Kate Spade “Come hang with Kate Spade” email and the backlash over its insensitivity to suicide.
  • The current Ulta story: big events like Ulta Beauty World 2026 selling out fast and the brand staying highly visible in the beauty space.

TL;DR: Ulta’s biggest “what happened” moment was a 2022 email that used the phrase “Come hang with Kate Spade,” which many saw as deeply insensitive given her death by suicide, leading to heavy backlash and a later apology. Today, though, most Ulta talk is about its large events and ticketed expos rather than that older controversy.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.