Pepsi has removed the ad spot featuring Kendall Jenner after facing backlash for trivializing recent street unrest across the country.
The ad was released late Tuesday where the reality TV star is participating in a photo shoot when she notices a nearby protest march. She removes her wig and makeup before joining the crowd with a Pepsi in hand. She walks right up to a police officer and hands him the Pepsi can, prompting cheers and smiles among the crowd.
The ad drew immediate criticism online, where users said the ad belittled anti-police violence protests that have taken place over the last few years in cities across America following police killings of unarmed black men and teens. They also criticized how the ad did not make a clear statement with what the protest was in opposition to, featuring generic signs amongst the protesters.
This isn’t the first time Pepsi has been controversial. In 2013 they pulled a Mountain Dew ad after complaints that the spot included racial stereotypes and made light of violence towards women. The ad showed a battered white woman on crutches trying to pick out her assailant from a police lineup featuring five African American men and a goat.