Last updated on March 7th, 2024 at 09:19 am
Doritos, the popular chip brand under PepsiCo, has terminated its collaboration with transgender artist Samantha Hudson. Hudson was intended to serve as a brand ambassador for the company in Spain until questionable tweets from his past resurfaced. The announcement of Hudson’s termination as an ambassador followed shortly after Doritos Spain revealed his involvement in a promotional campaign titled “Crunch Talks.”
The artist, who amassed popularity via his YouTube channel where he shared beauty, travel, and lifestyle tips, was called out on social media for inappropriate posts dating back to 2015. Reportedly published when Hudson was 15 years old, the tweets include disturbing remarks about a 12-year-old girl and show Hudson allegedly ridiculing survivors of sexual abuse. After these posts came to light and backlash ensued, Doritos decided to sever ties with Hudson, stressing they had been unaware of these past indiscretions.
The incident unfolded after a similar controversy in the United States, in which Bud Light experienced financial losses following its partnership with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. These instances underscore the importance of comprehensive background checks during partnerships and the potential consequences over overlooked historical data.