Former TV Host Ben Stein Faces Backlash Over Comments on Aunt Jemima Syrup Rebranding
4 min read
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It is likely that many of you are familiar with Ben Stein from his role as the teacher in the classic 80s feel-good flick Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. However, a recent video of the actor ranting against the rebranding of the pancake syrup brand formerly known as Aunt Jemima has been circulating the internet. Having started acting in 1984, Ben Stein has had a long career in the industry. Stein has been lending his voice and face to various productions for decades, including Ferris Bueller and Family Guy. Even so, the actor was recently criticized for his comments about the rebranding of Aunt Jemima syrup. Several social media sites, especially Twitter, have been buzzing about the viral video.
Actor Ben Stein says he misses the days when “a large African woman” was on his Aunt Jemima syrup bottles 👀 pic.twitter.com/iDW4rdrDku
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) February 22, 2023
During a release in June 2020, The Quaker Oats Company and PepsiCo expressed their commitment to changing Aunt Jemima’s name and image. In 1888, the company was founded. In 1889, the company developed its famous pancake mix, which later became known as Aunt Jemima. As a result of the company’s realization that the Aunt Jemima brand did not “reflect our core values”, the company rebranded. Since then, all former Aunt Jemima products have been branded Pearl Milling Company. In spite of this, Bein Stein seems unhappy with the new product following the rebrand. The actor still has more to say about the rebrand even though it happened almost 3 years ago.
Actor Ben Stein says he misses the good old days when “a large African-American woman” was on his syrup bottle, but woke corporate culture ruins everything. pic.twitter.com/WkSXUDbRIj
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) February 21, 2023Advertisement
A Video Of Ben Stein Speaking Of Aunt Jemima Goes Viral On The Internet
Ben Stein made a racist rant about Aunt Jemima’s pancake syrup, landing him in a pickle. On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Ron Filipkowski shared a video on Twitter about the syrup’s infamous caricature of a “large African-American woman” on the bottle in the old days. After the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, the company removed the image from its logo in 2021. The Twitterati were fuming after listening to the lawyer’s tirade. He was immediately criticized on microblogging sites. A user commented: Ignorant racist Trump bootlicker Ben Stein misses Aunt Jemima’s image on the syrup bottle. Happy BHM. Stein was pictured holding an old bottle of Aunt Jemima pancake syrup after stating that he was making breakfast for dinner. Afterwards, he expressed his displeasure at its recent rebranding, stating: Because of the inherent racism of American corporate culture, they decided to make it a white person or no person at all. Stein controversially stated that he preferred the logo when it showed a Black person making pancakes, revealing their incredible skill.
Now I get why Ferris Bueller tuned out Ben Stein when he taught him in high school https://t.co/OlrXb8o82T
— chip goines (@chipgoines) February 22, 2023
After years of public criticism that the cartoon on Aunt Jemima’s syrup bottles promoted racist stereotypes and the 2020 racial reckoning following George Floyd’s murder, Pepsi Co. stopped using Aunt Jemima’s famous image. In addition, it was rebranded as Pearl Milling Company in honour of the company that created Aunt Jemima. In response to Ben Stein’s questionable statements, netizens were horrified and shocked. Many pointed out that the actor prefers the old days when people could be openly racist. He was accused of being willfully ignorant. According to others, the 78-year-old himself fell for the brand’s racist propaganda. Another disappointed Twitter user, remarked: Ben Stein used to be smart, funny, and entertaining… He’s now just a racist creep! In addition to being an actor and lawyer, Stein is known for his conservative commentary on politics and economics. In Washington, D.C., he worked as an economist for the Department of Commerce as well as a trial lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission. In later years, he taught civil rights and politics at the University of California on the west coast. The 78-year-old went on to write speeches for Presidents Nixon and Ford following the publication of his successful editorials.
Why did black people have to go and get all this pride and dignity and ruin everything?!! Now I can’t shout to my wife “Just grab the syrup with the fat black woman on it!!!” when we’re in the store. Woke!!!!!
— Lamont Thompson (@TheLamontDT) February 21, 2023
Is anyone surprised that Ben Stein is a racist. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
— 𝙱𝚘𝚋 𝙷𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎 (@bobhille) February 21, 2023
i always look to Ben Stein for cultural thought leadership…no one knows what's trending like Ben
— Delux3 ⚜️ 🚐 (@RickBakas) February 21, 2023
"I like MY pancake syrup served out of a bottle that is a LITERAL RACIST TROPE."
— D. Russo (He/Him) (@DRusso97) February 21, 2023
-Ben Stein
I was going to write a post with a metaphor comparing a traditional Jewish food with some offensive antisemitic propaganda branding…but, I decided just to say, "F**k you Ben Stein"
— Bob Karp (@BobKarpDR) February 21, 2023
