Fact Check

No, Ben and Jerry's Did Not Honor Rittenhouse Shooting Victim with New Flavor

A Twitter post spoofed Ben & Jerry's public statement on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.

Published Nov. 16, 2021

 (VictoryNewsNet/Twitter)
Image Via VictoryNewsNet/Twitter
Claim:
Ben & Jerry's released a new ice cream flavor called "Rosenbaum's Heroic Hazelnut."

On Nov. 13, 2021, Victory News Network (VNN) Twitter account published a graphic positing that Ben & Jerry's honored one of Kyle Rittenhouse's shooting victims, Joseph Rosenbaum, with a new flavor:

Ben & Jerry's Honors Rittenhouse Shooting Victim

All profits from 'Rosenbaum's Heroic Hazelnut' will be donated to the Black Lives Matter organization.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a Twitter account website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Simlarly, the corresponding website, VictoryNews.online, describes its content this way: "This is a parody website, dummy."

Rosenbaum, one of the men shot and killed by Rittenhouse during a riot stemming from an August 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, had previously been sentenced to prison for sexually abusing five boys, according to court records. There is, however, no ice cream flavor from Ben & Jerry's known as "Rosenbaum's Heroic Hazelnut." The satirical tweet from VNN emerged after Ben & Jerry's Twitter account criticized the proceedings of the Rittenhouse trial.  

In response, Twitter and Facebook users shared the satirical post about "Rosenbaum's Heroic Hazelnut" -- often with no satire or parody disclaimer -- as a commentary on Ben & Jerry's announcement:

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.


Sources

Twitter, Nov. 13, 2021. https://twitter.com/VictoryNewsNet/status/1459574391042236423. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.

“Victory News Network.” Victory News Network, https://www.victorynews.online/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.

“What’s True and False About Kyle Rittenhouse’s Alleged Victims.” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/09/11/rittenhouse-victims-records/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.