The Silly Reason Popeyes Was Suspended From Twitter

Updated 7/9/2024 to remove a reference to an unofficial Popeyes X account and clarify that the official account was suspended.

In a late June press release, Popeyes announced boneless chicken wings as a permanent menu item, a timely decision leading up to National Fried Chicken Day on July 6. Popeyes furthered the fried chicken festivities by reaching out to boneless chicken wing detractors on X (formerly known as Twitter), dropping codes for a free 6-piece boneless wings with any other Popeyes purchase made on July 6. The codes, which were redeemable on the Popeyes website and app, were sent to thousands of X users who publicly shared their disdain for boneless wings — all in the hopes of converting them to fans. Popeyes made chicken wings a permanent menu item in 2023, but for some, the boneless variety are a controversial take on the classic.

However, Popeyes' efforts to give out free boneless chicken wing codes were cut short when X suspended the chain's account. In an email to Mashed, Popeyes said that X informed the chain that "providing codes for free boneless wings to thousands of X users was a violation of terms and shut the X paid advertiser down." As of July 9, the official Popeyes X account (@Popeyes) is still suspended, so even though you can view the page, Popeyes cannot post anything until its account is reviewed (and then unsuspended or banned).

In response to the suspension, Popeyes has a workaround for giving customers a deal on boneless chicken wings. The chain is offering loyal rewards members a free 6-piece boneless wings with any purchase worth at least $10 through the Popeyes app or website. This deal will last every day from now until July 14.

The main reason Popeyes gave X users free boneless chicken wing codes was the hate that the new menu item was receiving online. Maybe boneless wings aren't real wings, but they can still be tasty. As one X user involved in the Popeyes debate put it, "'Boneless wings' is just a fancy name for chicken nuggets." Even so, it's undeniable that Popeyes chicken is seen as delicious by many.

Popeyes reported having seen over 60,000 remarks expressing boneless disdain on the internet by the time the chain decided to start giving codes to the hateful X users. In an early July press release, the chain recognized the risk of being kicked off of X for this advertising stunt, and sure enough, it was proved correct. The campaign to convert more people into "Boneless Believers" was supplemented by a team-up with actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang, who was once an avid "Boneless Denier," but, thanks to Popeyes, started to believe. Like Popeyes' bone-in wings, the boneless wings are available in six flavors: classic, honey lemon pepper, signature hot, honey BBQ, sweet 'n spicy, and roasted garlic parmesan.