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Cadbury's Creme Egg ad with gay kiss triggers backlash, over 27,000 sign homophobic petition to ban commercial

The commercial was released in January 2021 and received backlash. The petition accuses the Cadbury campaign of using sexually explicit content while 'seeking to hide under cover of LGBT rights'

To mark the 50th anniversary of Creme Egg, Cadbury released a commercial featuring two men kissing while sharing the chocolate egg. In the commercial, the real-life couple is seen sharing a Creme Egg with their mouths before the gooey, sugary center oozes out. In the midst of a global pandemic when Cadbury has come forward to promote the same-sex relationship, there are several who seem to disagree. The commercial was released in January 2021 and received backlash from several. In addition to that, more than 27,000 people have now signed a petition hoping to ban Cadbury’s Creme Egg advert on the grounds of showing sexually explicit content.

The Cadbury commercial shows a montage of several scenes depicting the many different ways one can eat a Cadbury Creme Egg. The ad’s voiceover announces, “Calling all eggshibitionists: Let the eatertainment begin! Lickers, let loose … Discreaters, come out of your shell.”

In the end, we see a couple passing the Creme Egg to one another with their mouths before bursting the egg and its creamy contents.

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Thousands of people have come forward to sign a petition to ban the Cadbury commercial. The petitioner alleges, "By choosing to feature a same-sex couple, Cadbury’s are clearly hoping to cause controversy and escape criticism." It further alleges, "by claiming that any objections must be rooted in ‘homophobia,’ but members of the LGBT community have also expressed their dislike of this campaign."

The petitioner goes on to accuses the Cadbury campaign of using sexually explicit content while “seeking to hide under cover of LGBT rights.”

“Cadbury’s is well aware of the religious significance of Easter. Therefore, they are trying to cause gratuitous offense to members of the Christian community during the most important feast in their calendar.” They concluded, “Exposing children to sexualized content constitutes a form of grooming. It is well-known that children will often copy what they see on the screen.”

Callum Sterling, who is in the advert along with his real-life partner, Dale K Moran, responded to the backlash against the Cadbury ad in one of his Instagram stories. Sterling wrote: “So it’s OK when an advert sexualises a woman… to benefit the male gaze and make other women feel inadequate if they do not live up to this beauty standard," he wrote. "But it’s not OK, in 2021, to have an advert of a multi-racial (strike one) gay couple (strike two) on your screens for 10 seconds (strike three) eating/kissing/sexualised (strike four). Does anyone see how ridiculous this is? Like actual LOL.”

"I’m DISGUSTED by this"

Several viewers have since then come out in support of the commercial. One user wrote: "People losing their minds over two men kissing over a creme egg but have no problem with a woman cheating on her husband with an M&M?" Another viewer wrote: "I spent my childhood watching a woman in a bathtub fellating a Flake. Jus’ saying. #CREMEEGG". While another tweeted: "The Cadbury’s creme egg advert with two men kissing is divisive and dangerous, because it promotes the unacceptable idea that you should be expected to share your creme egg with another person." Another took a hilarious approach towards the issue by writing: "I’m DISGUSTED by this. I would NEVER share a Creme Egg with my husband."

Following all the backlash, Cadbury has come out to defend its commercial. The Mondelez-owned company said in a statement that “Cadbury has always been a progressive brand that spreads a message of inclusion, whether it is through its products or brand campaigns. We are proud of our Golden Goobilee advert which celebrates the many ways that everyone can enjoy a Cadbury Creme Egg. To illustrate this and showcase the joy our products bring, a clip of a real-life couple sharing a Cadbury Creme Egg was included in the advert.”

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