Popchips Pulls Ashton Kutcher's Brownface Ad
An advertisement for the snack food Popchips has been pulled from YouTube and Facebook after many viewers called Ashton Kutcher's impersonation of an Indian man racist.
In the ad, the Two and a Half Men star plays a Bollywood producer named Raj who is "looking for love." Kutcher performs the character with an Indian accent while wearing heavy brown makeup. Kutcher also takes on the personas of a hippie stoner, a fashionista and a bandana-wearing motorcycle dude in the online ad campaign's other spots.
Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones returning to Two and a Half Men
Late Wednesday, the company's founder and CEO Keith Belling took to the Popchips website to explain the decision behind the ad.
"We received a lot feedback about the dating campaign parody we launched today and appreciate everyone who took the time to share their point of view," he wrote. "Our team worked hard to create a light-hearted parody featuring a variety of characters that was meant to provide a few laughs. We did not intend to offend anyone. I take full responsibility and apologize to anyone we offended."
The ad can still be seen in its entirety below. Do you find it offensive?
