"the problem is that she has taken a strong stand"
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has urged Kareena Kapoor Khan to end her association with Magnum.
He argued that she should use her influence to challenge the company over Ben & Jerry’s social-justice stance.
Cohen made the appeal as his long-running dispute with the ice-cream brand’s corporate owners continues.
On X, he wrote: “Kareena Kapoor Khan has represented Unilever/Magnum for more than a decade. She has also used her platform to condemn the violence committed against Palestinian children.
“But Unilever/Magnum, the company that hired Kareena to promote its products, actively silences criticism of the Israeli government, including Ben & Jerry’s after it spoke out about Gaza.
“We believe that if this is brought to Kareena’s attention, she will stand up for what’s right and encourage Unilever/Magnum to free Ben & Jerry’s.
“Tell Kareena to continue her bravery and stand behind the values she has championed by flooding her comments with #BoycottMagnum and #FreeBenandJerrys.”
Ben Cohen also discussed his appeal to Kareena during an interview, explaining why he believes her stance on Palestinian rights makes her involvement relevant to the dispute.
He said: “Well, the problem is that she has taken a strong stand and we certainly agree with it and appreciate it in favour of Palestinian rights and their right to life.
“But at the same time she is helping to promote a company Magnum that is silencing Ben & Jerry’s on the same issues.
“So we’re asking her to use her power and her influence with Magnum to get them to finally abide by the acquisition agreement. Stop muzzling the board. And if they can’t do that, sell the company to investors that are socially aligned.”
On whether Kareena had responded to him, Cohen said:
“I haven’t seen any responses and who knows.”
The appeal comes against the backdrop of a wider battle between Ben & Jerry’s founders and the company’s corporate owners over its social mission and independence.
Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million in 2000, with an agreement designed to protect the ice-cream brand’s social mission and give its independent board authority over mission-related decisions.
According to the Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances, the agreement included “legally enforceable provisions establishing an independent board with exclusive authority over Ben & Jerry’s social activism and mission-related decisions”.
Tensions escalated after Ben & Jerry’s announced in 2021 that it would stop selling its products in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The decision prompted backlash and eventually contributed to a legal dispute between the founders and Unilever.
Kareena Kapoor Khan has represented Unilever/Magnum for more than a decade. She has also used her platform to condemn the violence committed against Palestinian children. But Unilever/Magnum—the company that hired Kareena to promote its products—actively silences criticism of the… pic.twitter.com/IYrHFMzVFF
— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) August 21, 2026
Unilever subsequently sold the Israeli rights to the brand to local businessman Avi Zinger, allowing Ben & Jerry’s products to return to Israeli settlements.
The founders later accused Unilever of interfering with the company’s social mission and restricting its ability to speak publicly on political issues.
The dispute continued after Unilever separated its ice-cream business into a new company, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, in 2025.
Ben & Jerry’s is now part of Magnum, which also owns the Magnum ice-cream brand Kareena Kapoor has promoted.
During the interview, Cohen argued that the change in ownership had intensified concerns about Ben & Jerry’s independence.
The legal dispute has also moved on since the ice-cream division was separated from Unilever.
A US judge recently dismissed several claims in Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit and ruled that Magnum, rather than Unilever, should be the primary defendant going forward.
Cohen added: “I think people should buy a lot of Ben & Jerry’s. It’s really good stuff.
“You know, the situation here is that Ben & Jerry’s is the victim. So we don’t want to hurt Ben & Jerry’s by a boycott.
“You know, Magnum owns a lot of brands, particularly the Magnum Ice Cream Bar. And so we’re suggesting that people boycott Magnum bars and other brands that they own.”
