Starbucks fires employee over insulting message on drink honouring Charlie Kirk

An Ohio woman was shocked when a Starbucks cup labelled her a racist. She ordered Charlie Kirk’s favourite drink, and the employee who wrote the message was fired.

Kanishka Singharia
Published23 Sep 2025, 02:43 PM IST
Representative image.
Representative image.(Pixabay )

An Ohio woman was stunned to find an offensive message on her Starbucks order referencing Charlie Kirk. The message, which labelled her a racist, led to the employee responsible being fired. Autumn Perkins visited a Starbucks inside a Kroger supermarket on Sunday evening and ordered Kirk’s favourite drink – a mint majesty with two honeys.

When she received her order, she was shocked to see “racist’s fav drink” written on her cup. "It's time for people to stop this nonsense," Perkins told Fox News Digital.

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Employee Fired

A conversation with the store manager revealed that an employee admitted to writing the message. The worker has since been dismissed.

“I would agree that people should be fired if they're doing something like this,” Perkins said.

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She added: “Charlie stood for respect” and said people need to learn that “actions have consequences”.

“We don't have to agree on everything. We can disagree on a lot of things, but we respect each other,” the Ohio woman added. “We can't communicate and grow if we're disrespecting each other.”

Also Read | WATCH | Erika Kirk in a powerful message ‘forgives’ husband Charlie's shooter

What Did Starbucks Say?

A Starbucks spokesperson told Fox News that the incident was “unacceptable”.

“Writing this on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment. This Starbucks location is licensed and operated by Kroger. We understand that this associate was terminated by Kroger,” the spokesperson said.

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Kroger confirmed the firing in an email on Monday to Fox News Digital. "This behaviour does not reflect Kroger’s values," a representative said.

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