Dunkin' Donuts Wades Into "Genetics Ad" Controversy by Crowning "King of the Summer"

The Summer of 2025 quickly became the summer of ad controversies after several major brands waded into what many have called "white supremacist dog whistles."

It's an alarming development, and it all started with an American Eagle ad starring Sydney Sweeney talking about her "genes."

The ad alone would have been shocking enough, but it was quickly joined by another ad that alluded to white supremacist topics — this time, from Dunkin' Donuts.

Here's what we know about the back-to-back ad controversies and why Dunkin's decision to jump into it with both feet is so surprising.

To understand the furor behind the Dunkin' and AE ads, you have to understand what a "dog whistle" is. In a political or cultural context, Merriam-Webster defines a "dog whistle" as a "coded message communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by others."

For instance, someone wanting to send out a message to a group of people who share racist ideals might use terminology that they use amongst themselves, but that isn't necessarily overtly or obviously racist, to hide it from the general public.

This is what many people have accused the Dunkin' ad of engaging in. In the ad, The Summer I Turned Pretty actor Gavin Casalegno jokes that he didn't expect to be crowned "King of Summer," and chalks his flawless tan up to his "genetics."

Often, discussion of genetics when it comes to white, blue-eyed, blonde-haired people is considered a dog whistle for Aryan and Nazi propaganda hearkening back to the 1930s (via Britannica).

A TikTok user who uploaded the ad pointed out that the connection between the Dunkin' ad and the earlier American Eagle ad may have simply been a case of the "Baader-Meinhof phenomenon," which is a frequency bias that makes you think something is more prevalent than it is because you are noticing it more often (via Healthline).

However, the coincidence is uncanny, if coincidence it is.

The furor all started when model Sydney Sweeney starred in that American Eagle ad, which featured the slogan, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." "Genes" is crossed out to be replaced by "jeans," and Sydney's blue-eyed, blonde-haired look immediately made the ad suspect.

While it could just be a poor word choice, many have pointed out that in the year 2025, it's unthinkable not to realize how it plays out to talk about superior "genes" when fronting someone who meets the Aryan ideal.

On TikTok, one user commenting on the Dunkin' ad pointed out, "IT HASNT EVEN BEEN 7 BUSINESS DAYS SINCE THE LAST EUGENICS AD." Another asked why clothing and donut companies are even bringing genetics into their ad campaigns, with another user writing, "Why are genetics such a common theme in commercials right now? Why do they think this makes me want to buy Dunkin’??"

It's unclear why exactly these companies would have used such heavily weighted language, if they weren't intending them to be dog whistles. After all, genes have nothing to do with selling clothing or donuts. Some have suggested that the furor is much ado about nothing, but others have countered that even if they meant no harm, the connection in historical context is undeniable.

It's a disturbing connection that has many crying foul and wondering if these companies are unveiling a dark side of themselves that fans should be aware of. However, as neither company chose to speak out in defense of their ads, all people can do is speculate. And worry.