KPMG has placed a manager on administrative leave after a gym confrontation in which she called a man a “Zionist pig” went viral.
Yuen Lee, an advisory manager at the accounting giant, was filmed in a heated exchange at Chelsea Piers Flatiron in Manhattan earlier this week, according to the nonprofit group StopAntisemitism, which first posted the clip. The organization identified Lee, who has worked at KPMG US for nearly six years, as the woman in the video.
In the footage, an unidentified man is heard saying off-camera, “You called me a Zionist pig, you don’t even know anything about me.”
“I actually do, I read books, I’m actually highly educated!” Lee replied.
“Okay, what did you call me?” the man asked.
“A Zionist pig,” Lee said. “Racist, you’re a racist.”
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman reposted the video late Wednesday, tagging KPMG’s social media accounts with a question mark. The clip has since accumulated more than 2.5 million views. The firm’s response came shortly after Ackman’s intervention.
“We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that is free from discrimination,” a KPMG US spokesperson said in a statement. “There is no place for discriminatory rhetoric in our firm.”
“The employee has been placed on administrative leave, while we follow our process and procedures,” the spokesperson added.
Lee appeared to be wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh tied around her waist during the exchange. A keffiyeh is a checkered scarf commonly worn as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians, though some Jewish people view it as a symbol of hate. A group of students, parents and staffers previously demanded that New York City ban the garment from public schools.
“This man came up to me to comment on my outfit today,” Lee said in the video.
Later in the confrontation, the man asked, “Just because I’m white, I’m racist?”
“No!” Lee said as she walked away.
StopAntisemitism’s post introducing Lee to its audience drew swift backlash against KPMG. “Meet Yuen Lee, an assurance manager at KPMG,” the group wrote. “Earlier today, she was filmed calling a Jewish man a ‘Zionist pig’ at Chelsea Piers Flatiron. Imagine being one of her Jewish colleagues @KPMG.”
Social media users flooded KPMG’s accounts with demands for action. “Do you think Jewish clients @KPMG paying over $500/hour for services would feel comfortable knowing that #YuenLee thinks they are ‘Zionist pigs,'” one user wrote.
“Fire her or Jewish clients will take their business somewhere else,” another wrote.
Some commenters questioned whether the full context of the encounter was being represented fairly. “What did he do? Without more context this is only one side of the story,” one user wrote.
Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Baruch College, according to her LinkedIn profile. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Post.
Lee has been an advisory manager at KPMG US for nearly two years, her profile shows, after joining the firm roughly four years prior in a different role.
The incident marks the latest flashpoint in tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict spilling into public spaces and workplaces, with social media amplifying confrontations that might previously have remained private. KPMG’s decision to place Lee on leave rather than terminate her immediately suggests the firm is proceeding through formal human resources protocols.
Lee has not publicly addressed the video or her employment status through any social media platform.