Ben & Jerry’s Radical Co-Founder Quits After Unilever Muzzles His Leftist Activism

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has officially cut ties with the ice cream brand he helped build, citing a bitter breakdown with parent company Unilever over censorship of his political activism.

The announcement came Tuesday via a post from fellow co-founder Ben Cohen, who shared a statement on Greenfield’s behalf declaring the decision “one of the hardest and most painful” of his life.

“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield wrote.

Greenfield and Cohen, who sold Ben & Jerry’s to Unilever in 2000, had remained onboard as the public face of the brand. Their continued involvement was supposedly guaranteed under a unique agreement that allowed them to promote their far-left political and social views under the company’s banner. But according to Greenfield, Unilever has violated that understanding.

The rift began widening in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s halted sales in the West Bank, sparking backlash and a high-profile clash with Unilever over corporate messaging. By 2024, tensions boiled over when the company filed suit against its parent company, alleging censorship of pro-Palestinian commentary related to Gaza.

Greenfield claims things came to a head earlier this year when Unilever blocked a social media post that mentioned abortion and criticized President Donald Trump, citing concern over political backlash. The company then removed CEO David Stever after he issued public comments, further angering the co-founders.

“Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” Greenfield’s statement read, blasting both Unilever and the current administration.

Unilever responded through one of its other brands, Magnum, claiming they had attempted to cooperate with Greenfield and Cohen: “We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.”

But for Greenfield, the battle was personal — and final.

“It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice, and a better world,” he wrote. “If I can’t carry those values forward inside the company today, then I will carry them forward outside.”

The departure marks a dramatic end to one of the most openly political brands in corporate America — and a rare admission that even progressive activism has limits under multinational corporate ownership.