A KPMG assurance manager has been placed on administrative leave after a video showed her calling a man a “Zionist pig” during an argument inside a Manhattan gym, according to KPMG US. The confrontation unfolded at the Chelsea Piers Fitness Flatiron location on Park Avenue South and quickly spread online after investor Bill Ackman shared it and pressed the accounting giant to respond.
Video Shows Heated Exchange Inside Chelsea Piers Gym
The clip was posted by the advocacy group StopAntisemitism, which identified the woman as Yuen Lee, per the seed reporting from the New York Post. In the footage, Lee is heard calling an unidentified man a “Zionist pig” and a racist, while the man responds, “You called me a Zionist pig, you don't even know anything about me.” Lee is also heard saying, “I actually do, I read books, I'm actually highly educated,” according to the same report. StopAntisemitism said Lee was filmed making the remark on September 16.
The portion of the encounter before recording began has not been released, according to jfeed.com, and Lee has said the man first approached her about her attire before the exchange escalated. In the video, Lee is seen wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh tied around her waist — a checkered scarf widely regarded as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians, though the seed reporting notes some Jewish people view it as a symbol of hate.
Ackman Amplifies Clip, Tags KPMG
Bill Ackman reposted the video on X and tagged KPMG's social media accounts, urging the firm to take action over the confrontation. The video has drawn more than 2.5 million views, according to the Post's reporting. Lee did not immediately respond to the outlet's requests for comment.
Accounts of KPMG's public response differ. The station's report from jfeed.com states that KPMG had not issued a public statement at the time of its reporting, while the Post's account states that KPMG US said it placed the employee on administrative leave while following its internal processes and procedures. The Post also reports that KPMG US said the firm is committed to an inclusive culture free from discrimination, adding that there is no place for discriminatory rhetoric within the firm.
Long Tenure at the Firm
Lee has worked at KPMG for nearly six years and has held an advisory manager role at KPMG US for close to two years, according to the Post's reporting. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Baruch College, per the same account. Professional listings cited by jfeed.com separately place a Yuen Lee as an assurance manager at KPMG US in New York.
Firm's Broader Antisemitism Training
KPMG required roughly 90,000 employees to complete the Anti-Defamation League's “Antisemitism 101 for the Workplace” training earlier in the year, according to jfeed.com. The training push came against a backdrop tracked by the Anti-Defamation League, which recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2025 — a 33 percent drop from the 9,354 incidents logged in 2024, per the Anti-Defamation League.
The video also circulated on other platforms, with a Threads user posting, “Meet Yuen Lee, an assurance manager at KPMG. Earlier today, she was filmed calling a Jewish man a “Zionist pig” at Chelsea Piers Flatiron.” The full context of what preceded the recorded exchange remains unclear, and neither KPMG's exact statement timeline nor the man's identity has been independently established beyond how the reports characterize the incident.
