Doritos Spain is facing backlash on Monday after the firm announced transgender artist Samantha Hudson as a brand ambassador for Spain, prompting outrage over Hudson’s prior comments regarding a 12-year-old.
The inclusion of the transgender population in brand advertising messages and/or products has been the subject of ongoing debate for some years, with conservatives continuing to call for boycotts. Bud Light became one of the first brands to receive national notice and widespread demands to boycott the firm in April 2023, following a brief promotion involving a collaboration with transgender TikTok sensation Dylan Mulvaney.
Doritos Spain, which is part of PepsiCo Spain’s product line, named Hudson as a brand ambassador for the products in a 50-second commercial titled “Crunch Talks.”
Hudson is a transgender artist from Spain who rose to prominence thanks to her social media presence and YouTube channel, where she gives fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle ideas.
However, Hudson’s appointment as brand ambassador generated controversy on Monday when his prior statements resurfaced, prompting a boycott demand.
Some have gone to X, formerly Twitter, to resurface the tweets and accuse Hudson of being a pedophile over tweets she posted in 2015 about a 12-year-old that she said were humorous.
Furthermore, others have revived Hudson’s tweets, accusing her of disliking women who have experienced sexual abuse.
X user End Wokeness attacked Doritos for their choice of ambassador and accused Hudson of being a pedophile, saying, “Doritos have picked Samantha Hudson as their marketing ambassador in Spain. Samantha Hudson: – Admitted to being a pedophile; – Identifies as a non-binary trans female; – Openly mocked victims of child abuse; – Advocates for “annihilating, completely destroying, and abolishing the traditional family.”
X user Ian Miles Cheong observed the boycott calls, writing on X, “Doritos is doubling down on wokeness by hiring Samantha Hudson, a transgender ‘woman’ and self-admitted p*do, as its brand ambassador in Spain, resulting in calls for a boycott of the company’s products.”
Another X user, Alberto Caliu, wondered if Doritos supported Hudson, writing in Spanish but translating to, “This Samantha Hudson is Doritos’ new image. Hello, @Doritos. Is this the type of person you represent?” Do you support this?” with an image of Hudson’s resurrected tweet.
PepsiCo Spain has yet to respond to the boycott or the Hudson allegations.
