In today’s modern world of iconic social media sound bites, the Jake Shane and European Wax Center drama (or beef?) might just have to take the cake. And if you thought it was one-sided, well, European Wax Center just bit back at Shane in a viral PR move, and it’s too juicy to ignore.
ICYMI, the context is key: Shane spoke about European Wax Centers and his personal experience in a March 2026 episode, session 112, of his podcast Therapuss with guest Tyriq Withers. Specifically, he asked Withers what he thought of the wax center because he “could tell [him].” Withers laughed as they threw around guesses, even claiming money laundering was happening. (Her Campus reached out to European Wax Center for comment, but didn’t hear back at the time of publication.)
Shane went on to call out a specific policy of the European Wax Center: the nine-minute window. This rule dictates that if the client is nine minutes late, the appointment will be marked as a “no-show.” Shane explains that one time, he was running late, and when he called his local center, they explained that no matter what, the nine-minute window would be honored. He got there and had a tense face-off with the receptionist, and said that the entire experience made him mad whenever he goes back.
“When I was running late, they told me, ‘If you are nine minutes late, then you are done,’ Shane said on the podcast. “Nine? Nine! And then I got in and we looked at each other like “sup?” My waxer was great, but now I feel uncomfortable going back because I have huge beef with them.”
While his viewers might have found it funny, it became clear on April 4 that the European Wax Center had some bite. In a video posted by Shane, he said that the wax chain sent him a scaled-up version of a coupon, reading “Exclusive 11-Minute Grace Period*,” with the asterisk reading “Valid for select guests who don’t know how to manage their time. Grace period does not extend appointment time. Physical card must be presented when checking in for appointment.” Zing.
There has been a wide range of responses to EWC’s package, from estheticians agreeing that a nine-minute grace period is perfectly reasonable for a 15-minute appointment, to onlookers viewing the PR package as perfectly funny. One thing is for sure — we’re all on the edge of our seats to see what will happen next.