{"id":39486,"date":"2025-08-01T13:55:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T13:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/39486\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:55:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T13:55:09","slug":"michelle-pfeiffer-apologizes-for-posting-about-concerning-bill-gates-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/39486\/","title":{"rendered":"Michelle Pfeiffer Apologizes for Posting About \u2018Concerning\u2019 Bill Gates Theory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michelle Pfeiffer has apologized after parroting a fringe theory that a food product with ties to Bill Gates would contaminate American produce. <\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Dangerous Liaisons star took to Instagram to walk back earlier claims about Apeel, a company that produces edible, plant-based food coating used to extend the shelf life of produce. <\/p>\n

\"MichelleThe three-time Oscar nominee has since apologized for her controversial posts about Apeel. Frazer Harrison\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Pfeiffer, 67, first posted<\/a> about the product on July 10, when she shared a reel that read, \u201cOrganic produce is no longer safe. Bill Gates\u2019 Apeel just got approved for USDA-certified organic\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cApeel\u2026 was just approved, and now \u2018organic\u2019 produce is coated in something we cannot see or wash off,\u201d wrote Pfeiffer over the original post. \u201cVery concerning.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a follow-up post, Pfeiffer also shared an article from the organic food blog My Health Forward<\/a> featuring a list of grocery stores that do not sell produce coated with Apeel.<\/p>\n

While Pfeiffer has since said she didn\u2019t intend to spread misinformation about Apeel, her reposts were reminiscent of a larger online smear campaign<\/a> against the company led in part by MAHA-adjacent influencers. <\/p>\n

In 2023, MAGA podcaster Dr. Jane Ruby<\/a> set off a firestorm when she falsely claimed<\/a> that Apeel products coat produce in heavy metals. <\/p>\n

\"BillApeel maintains that Gates has had no involvement in the company beyond approving two grants for it in 2012 and 2015. ROSLAN RAHMAN\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Other posters targeted the company\u2019s ties to Bill Gates, falsely claiming he was Apeel\u2019s founder. In truth, Apeel received two grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. <\/p>\n

The first grant, given at the company\u2019s founding in 2012, was around $100,000, and the second was around $985,000 in 2015, Reuters reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n

However, Gates has never been a shareholder<\/a> in Apeel. Representatives for the California-based company have previously clarified<\/a> that the Microsoft founder, 69, has had no \u201cinvolvement or ownership\u201d beyond approving the grants.<\/p>\n

OrganiPeel, the product referred to in Pfeiffer\u2019s posts, is made from<\/a> citric acid, baking soda, and mono- and diglycerides distilled from \u201cnon-GMO, responsibly-sourced plant oils,\u201d according to Apeel\u2019s website. <\/p>\n

While Apeel coatings are transparent, they are not, as Pfeiffer wrote, \u201cimpossible to wash off.\u201d Apeel\u2019s website<\/a> advises that merely rinsing fresh produce and \u201cgently scrubbing [it] using your hands or a soft brush\u201d will remove the coating, which is edible.<\/p>\n

Three weeks after her initial posts, Pfeiffer returned to Instagram to correct herself. <\/p>\n

\u201cUgh!\u201d wrote the Oscar nominee, \u201cIt turns out that I unintentionally reposted outdated and inaccurate information, and I\u2019m very sorry for that.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"MichellePfeiffer apologized via Instagram Thursday for her previous claims about Apeel. Michelle Pfeiffer\/Instagram <\/p>\n

The Batman Returns star then explained that she\u2019d spoken to representatives for Apeel, who told her that Organipeel is not a new product, and has been used in grocery stores since 2017. <\/p>\n

Apeel was approved by the FDA<\/a> in 2024. <\/p>\n

Pfeiffer also corrected her earlier implication that the company belonged to Gates, clarifying that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has \u201cno role with or ownership in\u201d the company beyond the two 2012 grants. <\/p>\n

\u201cPublic conversations about food safety and sustainability matter deeply,\u201d wrote the actress. \u201cBut they\u2019re only as helpful as they are accurate.\u201d <\/p>\n

Disinfo spreads fast. Facts matter more.<\/p>\n

Thank you Michelle Pfeiffer for setting the record straight:
\u2714\ufe0f Gates has no ownership or role in Apeel
\u2714\ufe0f Organipeel was approved in 2017
\u2714\ufe0f Not used commercially in 2+ years<\/p>\n

We lead with transparency. Always have.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcce\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/YqUXMq7uwN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Apeel Sciences (@apeelsciences) July 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

While Apeel Sciences did not respond to Pfeiffer\u2019s initial series of posts, the company did repost her apology on X Thursday. \u201cDisinfo spreads fast,\u201d read the company\u2019s tweet. \u201cFacts matter more.\u201d <\/p>\n