Marie Kondo has revealed that she has “kind of given up” on cleaning her home.
During a recent media webinar and virtual tea ceremony, the 38-year-old Japanese organizing consultant and author shared the revelation via an interpreter, according to The Washington Post.
“Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times,” she said. “I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me.”
Kondo, who gave birth to her third child in 2021, also mentioned that she now prioritizes spending time with her children over cleaning.
“My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life,” she shared.
Kondo rose in popularity after millions of people caught wind of her “simple but effective tidying method,” the KonMari method.
Kondo has written several books on organizing, including the 2014 New York Times bestseller “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” which was originally published in Japan in 2011 as “Jinsei ga Tokimeku Katazuke no Mahou.”
In addition to her books, Kondo has also worked on several TV projects. Some of her most notable ones include Netflix’s 2019 show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” and Netflix’s 2021 show “Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo.” The former landed Kondo a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.
In 2021, Kondo released a mobile game titled “Spark Joy!” which was inspired by her time playing games such as “Street Fighter,” “Mario Kart,”“Puyo Puyo” and “Super Robot Wars.”
Despite her immense popularity, however, Kondo has also been subject to online backlash over the years.
Critics of the tidying queen have been called out for their comments which supposedly carry classist and racist undertones.
In 2020, New York Times food columnist Alison Roman faced backlash after imitating Kondo’s Japanese accent and calling her practice both hypocritical and “greedy.”
Following the recent media webinar, several social media users took to Twitter to defend Kondo, who was criticized once again for her comments on tidying up.
“Why do people hate Marie Kondo so much? Is it misogyny? Racism? Both?” one user wrote. “I swear she doesn’t bother anyone but folks are always on her ass about something and it’s weird.”
“I believe the levels of hate Marie Kondo gets from some quarters is because an E [East] Asian woman. Racism permeates EVERYTHING,” another user tweeted.
“Marie Kondo gotta be the most unlikely polarizing figure of my lifetime, all that lady said was get rid of sh*t you’re not happy with and I swear the media in this country has spent half a decade trying to find new gotchas to throw at her every week, it’s beyond bizarre,” another user wrote.
