Pepsi pulls Kendall Jenner commercial after widespread criticism

Kendall Jenner Pepsi.
(Image credit: Pepsi)

Pepsi has pulled a two-and-a-half minute short film from circulation after the advertisement was widely blasted as tone-deaf and insensitive, The Wall Street Journal reports. The commercial, featuring Kendall Jenner, riffed on the Black Lives Matter protests, with a moment of tension between Jenner and an officer resolved by a shared Pepsi.

"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding," a Pepsi spokesman said. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize." The spokesman added that the company had not meant to "make light of any serious issue" and apologized for putting Jenner "in this position."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.