Pepsi issued an apology on Tuesday for a recent Threads post that some users had interpreted as making light of consent.
“Our recent Wild Cherry post landed in a way we never intended,” reads a follow-up post Pepsi posted to Threads. “We hear you, we’re sorry, and the post has been deleted.”
What did Pepsi’s original post say?
The initial post, while removed from Threads, appears to have been screen-captured and shared widely on the social media platform. The post allegedly read, “Pepsi Wild Cherry is what happens when regular cherry stops asking permission,” according to the images.
A community note included underneath Pepsi’s apology also indicated that Pepsi had used that language.
Commenters underneath Pepsi’s apology appeared divided on the idea behind the original post, though some appeared to condemn the company for what they believed to be an insensitive joke, even if unintentional.
“The person who came up with that should be fired, as should anyone who approved it,” one user wrote, while calling on Pepsi to make a donation to organizations that support sexual assault victims. “That was a disgusting and stunning lack of judgment.”
“I’ll say it. That apology was corporate damage control, not accountability,” another wrote. “Women and our allies made our voices heard.”
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Many other commenters on Threads defended Pepsi, claiming the original post was not ill-intended.
“You shouldn’t have to apologize for that, people on threads are always looking for a reason to be outraged and when there isn’t one they make one up,” one person claimed.
“I think our society is also just primed to view things as creepy with all the Epstein stuff coming out,” another said.
Whatever the intention, several Threads users appreciated Pepsi’s apology.
“If we want people to take accountability, we need to accept apologies when they’re given. That’s ALSO part of a community,” a commenter said, before addressing Pepsi directly. “Thank you for taking it down. We hope not to see that […] again.”
A representative for Pepsi did not respond to a request for comment.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault or abuse, help is available from both local and national organizations, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
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