Kendall Jenner Said She Was All About Pepsi Commercial Concept Before the Backlash
Kendall Jenner’s words are coming back to haunt her.
The 21-year-old model — who stars in the controversial Pepsi ad that has since been pulled — is trying to distance herself from the commercial after receiving immediate backlash for her involvement. However, it may not be that easy.
Kendall landed in Paris on Wednesday and is keeping her head down (literally) amid all of the drama. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star has wiped mentions of Pepsi from her Twitter account, and TMZ ran a story from “sources” (cough, Team Kendall) claiming she was not involved in the creative process. That may be true, but Kendall clearly read the script and went through with it. In an interview prior to the advertisement’s release, the model even said she was on board with the concept.
“I had never been to Bangkok before, so it was interesting to be in that city” for the ad shoot, Kendall told Women’s Wear Daily in a post that ran on Tuesday. “There were a lot of really cool people on set that I got to meet. It was fun. It was entertaining. The whole concept is really something that I’m about, so it was just fun to be a part of.”
Kendall added, “I think a lot of people are caught up in whatever’s happening in someone else’s life and they’re not really paying attention to what’s happening right in front of them most of the time. It’s not hard to put your phone down and consciously try and get yourself to live in the moment. That’s what I try and do.”
In the ad, which has been widely critiqued as tone-deaf, Kendall finishes a photo shoot and casually stumbles upon a protest. With police on one side and protesters on the other, the Victoria’s Secret model strolls up to the cops, offers one a Pepsi, and all is right with the world. Pepsi’s concept mirrors a viral photo of a Black Lives Matter protester who was arrested in Louisiana in 2016.
In Baton Rouge, LA, Ieshia Evans didn't meet the same reaction as Kendall Jenner from police when approaching during a protest. #pepsiad pic.twitter.com/OjJg2zDlDu
— BD_PR (@Brittany_AD) April 5, 2017
Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice King, even spoke out about it.
If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi. pic.twitter.com/FA6JPrY72V
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 5, 2017
After initially defending the commercial and its message, Pepsi has issued an apology, saying it “missed the mark.” The soda company also publicly apologized to Kendall, who is the face of its global “Moments” campaign.
— Pepsi? (@pepsi) April 5, 2017
We’re on the edge of our seat wondering what the next “moment” will be.
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