Govee has included a book about “white supremacy” in its website images

Companies often include background props in their product photos that serve as clothing sets, but one of Govee’s decorative choices raises some eyebrows. Eagle eye edge A reader discovered that two copies of a book with the word “white supremacy” taped to the back were included in a lifestyle photo on the Govee website, in a scene that appears to depict a child’s bedroom.

We’d forgive you for assuming this is the result of some failed AI experiment, or the work of a rogue designer. (The image didn’t contain any C2PA or SynthID data when we checked it, but that doesn’t necessarily rule out that something was created using AI tools.) But according to Govee, the image was actually sourced from an undisclosed “licensed third-party library.”

“However, we recognize that our internal review and approval process did not meet the required standards,” Connie Liu, Govee’s director of public relations, said in a statement. Edge. “We are taking immediate steps to strengthen our operations to ensure this does not happen again.”

A quick look at archived versions of the site indicates that the image has been live ever since At least April 11, 2026. It has since been pulled from the Govee website, shortly after we sent our inquiry.

“We sincerely apologize for the offensive content in this image. As soon as we became aware of it, the image was immediately removed from the Govee website,” Liu said. “We are committed to ensuring that all content on our platforms aligns with our core values ​​of respect and integrity, and we take this very seriously.”

The book in question appears to be a real publication, resembling a collection of articles titled “The State of White Supremacy: Racism, Governance, and the United States“. That’s a lot less outrageous than it’s supposed to be, but it’s still an unfortunate and highly questionable cover to include without such context about its content. Especially on a photo promoting a pretty decorative light for a children’s room? What’s the other book in the photo (entitled) worth?Another art book“) is also an original book by Jefferson Huck, although the cover is displayed reversed.

What’s even stranger is that this isn’t the first time this has happened The exact book It caused similar controversy. British appliance retailer B&Q He issued an apology again in 2023 After the book appeared on its website for a cooler cover listed by a third-party seller. B&Q said at the time that the image of the product “was not captured by our inspection process”.

Updated May 26: Added statement from Govee.