Photobombing FIJI Water woman is suing FIJI Water and yes, you read that right

Oh dear.
 By 
Rachel Thompson
 on 
Photobombing FIJI Water woman is suing FIJI Water and yes, you read that right
There she is ...visibly present in the background! Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for FIJI Water

The Golden Globes might be a bit of a blur to us now, but there's one person who still stands out in our minds: FIJI Water woman.

In case you're not sure who I'm on about, "FIJI Water woman" was the nickname given to Kelleth Cuthbert, the woman who became an icon after photobombing several celebrities on the red carpet at the Globes.

In an unexpected turn of events, Cuthbert — whose real name is Kelly Steinbach — is now suing FIJI Water Company and The Wonderful Company, claiming they created a cardboard cutout marketing campaign using her image without her authorisation.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cuthbert claims she was "pressured" to "sign away her rights in the moniker 'Fiji Water Girl'" and to allow the company to use her photo in a marketing campaign. She claims she didn't agree to this.

"The fake document Steinbach signed in the potential future promotional video was not an agreement," Cuthbert's lawyer Kimberly Buffington claims in the lawsuit. "The fake document was not signed by Fiji Water and was later destroyed by Steinbach."

In a statement to THR, A FIJI Water spokesperson stated the lawsuit is "frivolous" and "entirely without merit."

"After the Golden Globes social media moment, we negotiated a generous agreement with Ms. Cuthbert that she blatantly violated. We are confident that we will prevail in court. Throughout our history, we have had a sterling reputation working with talent," reads the statement.

Cuthbert claims the unauthorised use of her likeness has damaged her "peace, happiness, feelings, goodwill, professional standing, and future publicity value." Per THR, her lawsuit seeks "punitive and compensatory damages, plus disgorgement of FIJI Water's profits."

Topics Golden Globes

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.

A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.

Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.

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