Popcorn brand distances itself from DOGE employee ‘Big Balls’ after backlash

Popcorn brand LesserEvil is the latest group caught up in the chaos of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s whirlwind of action over the past couple of weeks. The company recently sent a cryptic email to customers after the brand owner’s connection to a DOGE staffer became public.

LesserEvil CEO Charles Coristine is reportedly the father of one of DOGE’s youngest and now most-infamous staffers, Edward Coristine. The 19-year-old high school graduate goes by “Big Balls” online, Wired reports, and was reportedly granted access to some of the government’s most sensitive systems, despite dubious security clearance. The White House has insisted that DOGE is working within the law and with appropriate authorization, though it hasn’t provided much detail on staffers’ background checks.

On a Reddit forum for federal workers, a post with 4,000 upvotes links the DOGE staffer to his popcorn CEO dad, and urged others to boycott the snack. “People like Edward don’t become this way overnight and generally are enabled by their parents,” the anonymous poster wrote. “Until he shows otherwise, Charles and LesserEvil have essentially given their stamp of approval for this. They clearly don’t share our values and think very little of federal workers. I personally will be taking my business elsewhere.”

In an email addressed to “our LesserEvil community” on Wednesday, the brand wrote, “In light of recent events, we feel compelled to reaffirm that LesserEvil is in no way affiliated with any political figures, political policies or political groups. Our values remain the same as they’ve always been: health, sustainability and affordability.” The email does not name any individual or organization, and is signed only by “LesserEvil” and from a generic email address.

“We are not just a brand, a person, or a headline,” the brand writes, “but a community of individuals coming together through their passion for making better-for-you, organic snacks – for snackers of all creeds and beliefs – in an effort to create a more wholesome world.”