Random Inappropriate Tweets That Totally Backfired (22 items)

(#11) Homebase
- Brand/Company
If you're trying to piggyback off a hashtag, you better at least try to sound sincere. When Prince died and the hashtag #RIPPRINCE was trending, many people wrote in commemorating the man and his legacy. Homebase (a DIY store chain), on the other hand, did something much more distasteful.

They issued a standard, cheerful customer service announcement that encouraged people to get in touch with them if they had any questions. At the end of the tweet, however, they arbitrarily threw on the #RIPPRINCE hashtag. The tweet was quickly deleted, but the internet was faster, and soon major headlines started to circulate accusing Homebase of exploiting Prince's death. They soon issued an apology for any offense the tweet caused.
(#14) The US State Department Was Just So, So Sexist

In an attempt to sound hip, the U.S. State Department tweeted out a message that said: "Not a '10' in the US? Then not a 10 overseas." It wasn't long before people called out the tweet for being sexist and insulting. Even worse, the State Department quickly tried to defend their actions in response to the onslaught of negative tweets, but that just made matters worse.

When something like this happens, it never helps to try to fight back against it. In order to save face, companies and organizations need to just apologize and move on, which is what the State Department did a little while later.
(#5) It's Not A Serious Domestic Violence Issue, It's DiGiorno

When Janay Palmer returned to Ray Rice after the infamous video leaked of him knocking her unconscious in an elevator, thousands of people took to Twitter using the hashtag #WhyIStayed to show their support for Palmer.

Among the tweets detailing intensely personal stories of domestic abuse, DiGiorno Pizza used it to promote their pizza. It's a classic instance of a brand not realizing why a hashtag is trending, and using it anyway. Of course, the company quickly apologized when it realized its mistake.
(#7) Roseanne Barr Sent Out A Racist Tweet About An Adviser For Obama

Rosanne Barr's Twitter feed is no stranger to conspiracy theories and questionable tweets, but her racist comment about former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett was the final straw for many. On May 29, 2018, the Roseanne co-creator and star tweeted about Jarrett, a Black woman who acted as a senior adviser in the Obama administration, and likened her to an ape, saying, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."

Barr swiftly received backlash from her peers and Twitter users alike. She issued an apology, stating, "I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and looks. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste."

She was not pardoned by anyone. Soon after, ABC announced that the network canceled Roseanne. ABC Entertainment president, Channing Dungey, said, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."

Barr said she was leaving Twitter in the aftermath of her comments.
(#19) Susan Boyle
- Band/Musician
Always read what you write before you post. That's a lesson Susan Boyle's PR team will never forget going forward. Before the singer's new album launched, her team sent out a message with the hashtag #Suanalbumparty to try to raise awareness.

Unfortunately, many Twitter users pointed out that it looked more like "Sus An*l Bum Party," rather than "Susan Album Party." The team quickly changed it to #SusanBoylesAlbumParty, but Twitter was already having a field day with the hashtag.
(#3) James Taranto
- Journalist
Following the horrific Aurora shooting incident in 2012, an editor at The Wall Street Journal by the name of James Taranto tweeted out this doozy. It obviously didn't go over well. He faced immediate backlash over his tweet, but the stubborn journalist stuck to his guns.

He called his tweet challenging, and started re-tweeting his positive and negative replies. He never apologized for the insensitive nature of his tweet, but he did later call it "ill-considered."