Sophia Culpo Faces Backlash for Comment About Niece’s "Asian Genes"

Have you ever met someone who's slightly out of touch with reality and accidentally says things that come off as rude, or even racist? There are plenty of people like this. And while some manage to keep their out-of-touchness low-key, every now and then, they slip up and reveal a side of themselves they usually keep hidden.

Now, we’re not saying Sophia Culpo is one of those people, but that’s how many online are describing her after she posted (and quickly deleted) a photo of her baby niece in early May 2025. The baby was born to Sophia’s older brother, Pete, and his wife, Katie Trainor, who is Filipino.

Now, it wasn’t the photo that stirred controversy, it was the caption. Here's why people are taking issue with Sophia Culpo’s post of her niece.

Sophia Culpo posted and subsequently deleted a photo of her baby niece in early May 2025, which has sparked some serious backlash. Given the popularity of the Culpo sisters, it’s no surprise that netizens were able to obtain screenshots before she removed it. Many then reposted the image using the green screen feature as their form of "receipts."

In the now-deleted post, Sophia shared a sweet photo of herself holding her niece, captioned, "When the Culpo genes beat out the Asian genes." She followed that with, "Say hi to my baby niece Lila!! She looks EXACTLY like my brother, even though she's Filipino."

Fans believe Lila is the daughter of Sophia’s brother Pete and his wife Katie, who is Filipino, since her other brother, Gus, doesn’t appear to be in a relationship or have children.

It seems Sophia may have realized the caption came off as insensitive, which may be why she took it down so fast. Still, that hasn’t stopped the internet from reacting and weighing in.

Simply put, the internet was shocked by Sophia's comment claiming the Culpo genes were stronger than the Asian genes when it came to her niece, with many calling it blatant racism. Still, some believe she didn’t realize just how out of line the remark was, possibly because of the environment she’s used to.

While a few suggested Sophia must "despise" her sister-in-law, that might not be the case. As one commenter put it, "It was probably an inside family joke that Asian genes are super strong," and if that’s true, then it’s probably best to keep inside jokes, well, inside. That same user added, "She’s so sheltered within the MAGA bubble that she didn’t think it’s not appropriate to say on social media."

Others pointed out that Sophia could have posted the same photo with a caption like, "D--n, these Culpo genes are strong," and it likely would’ve gotten a pass, but because she brought race into it, people are understandably upset. Still, a few came to her defense, with one commenter writing, "As a Filipino, I don’t think it was racist. At all lol."

Another noted that "people lack courtesy and social awareness," suggesting the backlash may be split between those who see Sophia’s comment as racist and those who view it as simply discourteous.