Pokimane has been forced to do some backpedaling, after mocking her fans as "broke boys" for complaining about the price of her new cookies.
Like so many content creators, Pokimane has been trying to expand her brand beyond streaming. This has taken many forms, including her own brand of cookies (that are basically mini Oreos), which released this month.
The cookies gained a lot of publicity before release, but when people saw the price, her new line of snacks were hit with immediate criticism for costing $28! But when she tried to defend the price of her cookies on stream, she grew irate and called her fans "broke boys", implying that they were only complaining because they were poor.
Now Pokimane is backpedaling hard, after her “broke boy” comment mocking fans was received with even more negative feedback than the cookies themselves.
Pokimane Gets Hate For Calling People Who Can't Afford Her $28 Cookies “Broke Boys”
As one of the biggest creators on Twitch, Pokimane has built her career around the persona of a cutesy, always kind, gamer-girl.
This includes her limiting the donation cap to $5, speaking out against gambling on Twitch, and calling other streamers out for bad behavior.
But now Pokimane is the one being called out for bad behavior, as she was seen to be mocking poorer viewers who can't afford her cookies, calling them "broke boys". To be clear, you get four bags of cookies for $28 from Pokimane, but the bags are very small, just 4oz (114g). By comparison, the cookies that these are supposedly based on, the Toatzy Midnight Mini Cookies, cost $10 for 14oz (400g) at Costco. In other words, an ounce of cookie is only $0.71 in Costco, but $1.75 from Pokimane.
Many see this whole gimmick as just a rip-off of the Toatzy Midnight Mini Cookies with a 300% markup.
When asked about this disproportionate price increase, Pokimane went on to mock her fans, sparking an outrage, that is largely based on her previously calling people out from a moral standpoint.
When people are like ‘oh my god $28 for cookies’. It’s four bags, that’s $7 per bag. I know, I know math is hard when you’re an idiot. But, if you’re a broke boy just say so.
Pokimane called people who can't afford her $28 cookies "broke boys." pic.twitter.com/mPfDY8VuQR
— EarlyGame (@earlygamegg) November 20, 2023
After getting called out for her response, Pokimane quickly backpedaled, apologizing for what “was 100% intended to be a joke”, promising that she'll “continue to consider pricing” to “keep” the cookies affordable.
while what i said was 100% intended to be a joke, i see why it came off as insensitive and i apologize for that.
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) November 20, 2023
i also understand the current price of the cookies may be expensive for some, and promise we'll continue to consider pricing to keep myna as affordable as possible. https://t.co/u0HovPw2Za
Whether or not the fan base will accept her apology is up for debate, but Poki-haters are currently having a field-day, searching the internet for old statements of her, that now come back to bite her.