Hello Fresh is facing backlash after a Pride Month Instagram post this week used language that many readers took as a reference to gay sex. The brand later doubled down in a comment thread with a promo code that only sharpened the reaction, turning a marketing post into a social-media pileup.

The message pulled in roughly 100,000 likes, a sign that the post landed exactly where brands hope Pride campaigns do: loud, fast and impossible to miss. But it also split viewers between applause and disgust, with some users saying the opening line could be harmful to people battling eating disorders, not just offensive to those who read the joke as sexualized.

Hello Fresh wrote, “We know eating isn't always a top priority this month. We respect that. But for those of you who are… prepping… we have an extensive lineup of high-fiber recipes available. Happy Pride,” a line critics said pointed toward anal sex and the bodily preparation tied to it. When a commenter floated the promo code “BOTTOMSUP,” the company replied, “Use code BOTTOMSUP for a Pride Month discount 🏳️‍🌈 @yourguymattyry you ask we deliver. Literally,” a response that made the subtext even harder to ignore.

The company sells pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes delivered to customers’ doors, which makes the language especially noticeable for a brand built around dinner planning and domestic routine. The controversy also arrived against a backdrop of previous scrutiny: commenters resurfaced a 2024 Department of Labor finding that migrant children worked at one of Hello Fresh's facilities, after which the company blamed a third-party staffing firm, Midway Staffing, ended that contract and cited a zero-tolerance child labor policy.

The backlash is not only about a single joke. It shows how a Pride Month promotion can be read as celebratory advertising by some and as a careless or exclusionary swipe by others, especially when the brand responds with a wink rather than a clean apology or a quiet edit. For now, the unanswered question is whether Hello Fresh will leave the post up, revise it or say more as the criticism keeps spreading.