TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In the wake of popular Taiwan YouTuber Joeman's (九妹) arrest for possessing marijuana, food products branded with the celebrity's name have started to be removed from store shelves, including sandwiches from 7-Eleven.
While conducting dawn raids across New Taipei City, police on Monday (Nov. 6) seized three grams of marijuana from the residence of Joeman, whose real name is Weng Chun-ming (翁雋明), and one gram from the residence of influencer Lyla (蕾拉) and DJ Tang Yu (DJ湯宇). The three were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and were later released on bail.
On Tuesday (Nov. 7), reports started coming in about Joeman's endorsed food products being removed from store shelves. The first product line reportedly impacted was his collaboration with 7-Eleven called "Joe Style Love for Food," according to NOWnews
A leaked internal document said the "JOE Style Teriyaki Grilled Chicken and Egg Sandwich" was to be immediately taken off the shelves and discarded. The convenience store chain's internal memo said due to non-compliance with product specifications, all stores were requested to assist in removing and returning all items.
The notice said "products should be discarded and not recycled."
Joeman, who has over 2.59 million followers on YouTube, teamed up with 7-Eleven in February to develop seven new products, ranging from rice balls, sandwiches, omurice, to after-dinner desserts and drinks. This collaboration stirred controversy due to allegations of "misrepresentation of ingredients" in the sandwiches and omelet rice dishes.
However, the greater the controversy, the better the sales were. Until Tuesday, the "JOE Style Sauce BBQ Sandwich" was still having a sandwich day promotion.
The sudden withdrawal of Joeman products from 7-Elevens on Tuesday drew a lot of attention from netizens who rushed to their nearest branch to find the last few sandwiches in stock, but they had already been removed.
In response to his arrest, Joeman's attorney issued the following public statement on his behalf on Monday: "I deeply regret and apologize for causing social turmoil. However, in accordance with the principle of keeping investigations confidential, I cannot yet disclose the details of the case. I also kindly request the public to respect the investigation by the prosecutors and police," reported Business Today.