Influencers Call for Dunkin’ Donuts Boycott After Alleged Advertising Snub by Rumble.
A wave of controversy has erupted on social media as influencers affiliated with the American political right have called for a boycott of Dunkin’ Donuts. The calls for action stem from allegations made by Chris Pavlovski, CEO of the video platform Rumble, who claimed that the fast-food chain declined to advertise with Rumble due to its perceived alignment with right-wing views.
Pavlovski took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to voice his concerns. He alleged that Dunkin’ Donuts and its parent company, Inspire Brands, refused to place ads on Rumble because the platform’s “right-wing culture” was deemed “too polarizing” for their brand. Pavlovski shared a screenshot of what he claimed was an email from the company, which stated, “To be honest, [redacted] I would be opposed to showing up on the current version of the platform—the right-wing culture of the site is too polarizing from a brand suitability standpoint today.” Although the sender of the email was not identified, Pavlovski suggested that it was from an advertising executive at Dunkin’ Donuts or its parent company, Inspire Brands, which also owns Arby’s and Sonic Drive-In.
Rumble, which has positioned itself as a haven for conservative voices who have been banned from other mainstream platforms, is currently embroiled in legal battles. The company, alongside Elon Musk’s social media company X, is suing a group of advertisers. They allege that these advertisers withheld business from their platforms due to the right-wing content hosted on them. Rumble is known for hosting controversial figures such as Alex Jones, who was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims for defamation, and Nick Fuentes, who has been widely condemned for making Holocaust-denying statements.
The hashtag #BoycottDunkinDonuts quickly gained traction on X, becoming one of the top trending topics on the platform for several hours on Wednesday, signaling a significant backlash from users aligned with Rumble’s audience.