Image Source: Myna Snacks promotional materials via Aftermath
What was the Accusation?
Imane Anys, the online streamer better known as Pokimane, faced criticism in November 2023 after launching Myna Snacks, a food company whose first product was Midnight Mini Cookies. The cookies were sold for $28 for a four-pack, or approximately $7 per bag. The launch quickly generated complaints about the price as well as accusations that the product closely resembled Toatzy Midnight Mini Cookies, which had previously been sold at Costco and were also manufactured by Creation Foods. Critics accused Myna Snacks of repackaging an existing product and selling it at a substantially higher price. Myna disputed that characterization, maintaining that its formulation was unique and had been developed before the launch.
The controversy intensified during Pokimane’s November 18 livestream when she responded to criticism of the price. Defending the four-pack format, she said that the package worked out to $7 per bag and mocked a critic’s math before adding, “if you’re a broke boy just say so.” The remark spread rapidly online, with critics arguing that a wealthy content creator insulting viewers for considering her product too expensive was dismissive and out of touch. The backlash consequently shifted much of the controversy away from the cookies themselves and toward Pokimane’s relationship with the audience whose support had helped build her online career.
Pokimane responded publicly on November 19. She characterized the “broke boy” remark as a joke but acknowledged that it could reasonably have been interpreted as insensitive and apologized. She also directly addressed the underlying concern about affordability, acknowledging that the cookies’ price could be expensive for some consumers and promising that Myna Snacks would continue considering its pricing in an effort to make its products as affordable as possible. Her response therefore combined an attempt to reduce the perceived seriousness of the original remark with an explicit apology and a promise to consider a practical change related to the source of the criticism.
The controversy remained associated with Myna Snacks long after the initial launch. By late 2025, both of the company’s products had become unavailable and its social-media activity had stopped, although contemporary reporting cautioned that it was not yet clear whether the company had permanently closed. In April 2026, Pokimane publicly discussed the venture again and said the company was likely winding down. She explained that the launch had not gone as planned and that the experience taught her that being a content creator was very different from being a business owner. Pokimane said she eventually concluded that it was not the right time for her to be the public face of a product, stepped away from Myna Snacks, and allowed the company to continue operating independently.
