“I did not know”: Selena Gomez apologizes after being called out for posting photos with Starbucks amid ongoing boycott 

Selena Gomez recently shared a picture on Instagram, showing her enjoying a picnic. However, a Starbucks cup in the picture surprised some netizens. Selena Gomez posted the Instagram story on May 4, 2024, as she lay on a spread, with a basket, a Starbucks cup, and her Rare Beauty cosmetics.

As the picture of Selena Gomez promoting a Starbucks cup went viral, many started trolling her and calling her out. With many stating how she “deserves hate,” for posting a picture with the coffee brand’s cup, Selena Gomez then responded to one comment and said:

“I did not know. So apparently I am that stupid. I’m sorry.”

The fiasco began shortly after the Hamas-Israel conflict when many started the movement to boycott big brands, including Starbucks for allegedly funding the genocide in Hamas.

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Starbucks loses $11 billion value because of the boycotts: More details revealed as netizens continue to bash Selena Gomez

Starbucks, the popular coffee brand is once again in negative limelight after Selena Gomez posted a picture on her Instagram stories promoting the brand. While many netizens bashed the singer, others called her out as Starbucks is allegedly contributing to the genocide, by supporting the Israeli military.

A report by Live Mint stated that because of the boycotts, the brand has already suffered $11 billion in losses, along with a 9.4% decline in the company’s total value. The fiasco ignited when a Starbucks Workers Union tweeted on X expressing their solidarity with Palestine.

While holidays have usually been the busiest days for Starbucks ever since its launch, this holiday season wasn’t that great for the coffee chain, as the sales dropped drastically, even on Red Cup Day in November 2023.

In December, Starbucks CEO, Laxman released a message stating that the company does not donate to the Israeli government or military, as the message read:

“Narratives get shaped by external voices disconnected from the brand — and further amplified by others. As a giving company, we stand for humanity. We stand for human connection. We strongly abhor hate, violence and attacks on the innocent. Everywhere and at all times.”

The CEO also spoke about the Workers Union tweet and said:

“Recently, our chief partner officer, Sara Kelly, communicated with Workers United last week. On behalf of our company, she affirmed a shared goal with the union to progress negotiations. We have asked Workers United – on behalf of our represented partners - to work with us to break the gridlock and agree to a collective bargaining process with the hopeful goal of reaching agreements in 2024.”

Even after Selena Gomez apologized for posting a picture with the Starbucks cups, social media users continued to bash the singer. The picture posted by Selena Gomez on her Instagram has spread across all social media platforms and garnered a lot of attention. Starbucks has not responded to the matter.

The recent iteration of the Palestine and Israel conflict started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched fire on Israel and ended up killing over a thousand people. Since then, Israel has retaliated and as per AP news, 34,622 Palestinians have died in the conflict.