Cinnabon Deletes Princess Leia Tweet After Receiving Slew of Backlash

Cinnabon caused controversy on Twitter after tweeting a tribute to Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who died Tuesday.

When news of the actor’s death broke, many fans of Fisher and the Star Wars series took to social media to mourn and pay their respects. But Cinnabon’s apparent tribute, posted Tuesday afternoon, probably didn’t go over the way they had planned it to.

“RIP Carrie Fisher, you’ll always have the best buns in the galaxy,” the tweet read, alongside a cinnamon silhouette of Princess Leia with a Cinnabon roll taking the place of her iconic hair buns.

The cinnamon roll chain later deleted the tweet after it was met with a slew of negative reactions from the Twitterverse. Some called it tasteless, disrespectful and sexist, while others simply called the company tacky and opportunistic because of the tweet.

After deleting it, the company also posted an apology.

On the other hand, some Twitter users defended Cinnabon’s Fisher tribute — and called the backlash overwrought and overly sensitive, citing the fact that Fisher, well-known for her sense of humor, would have enjoyed the tweet.

The controversial image wasn’t originally a tribute to the passing of Fisher, however. The company originally posted the cinnamon Princess Leia picture on May 4, 2016, in celebration of “Star Wars Day,” an unofficial but widely celebrated holiday for fans of the Star Wars series, according to CNBC.

Cinnabon certainly isn’t the first company to try and capitalize on trending media topics or celebrity deaths, and they definitely aren’t the first to receive backlash for it. “News-jacking,” as the practice is called, isn’t always unsuccessful — but when it is, the response can be merciless. Crocs and Cheerios both sparked controversy when they posted images after the deaths of David Bowie and Prince, respectively