That Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad Just Got Pulled
After less than 24 hours, Pepsi has decided to pull the controversial ad that featured Kendall Jenner offering soda to police officers at a protest. "Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding," the company said in a statement. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position." As of this post, the commercial has been removed from YouTube.
Almost as soon as the ad premiered, viewers reacted with outrage over its trivialization of political protesting, as well as the nod to the famous photo of Ieshia Evans protesting in Baton Rouge. Pepsi initially defended the ad, saying it "reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that’s an important message to convey." Kendall has still not commented.
Update 4/5, 3:30 p.m.: Kendall Jenner and Kris Jenner have both deleted their Instagram and Twitter posts promoting the new ad. Kendall had previously shared a behind-the-scenes shot of herself on set but that post is gone now too. Neither Kendall nor Kris has officially commented on the backlash to the ad.
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