Deputy B. Longoria (via his Instagram)
A Los Angeles Starbucks employee was fired on January 12, 2026, for drawing a famous internet meme on a coffee cup. The trending meme, “John Pork,” was illustrated on an off-duty deputy’s coffee cup. John Pork is an internet meme depicting a cartoon pig often used in joking or satirical posts online. Pigs have long been used as a derogatory slang term for police officers, particularly among anti-cop activists.
John Pork is an online meme persona from Palermo, Italy. Which had made his initial debut via Instagram deemed a virtual influencer and self-proclaimed fashion model. Despite his first post being posted in 2018, he did not go viral until early 2023. The meme’s success led fans to create elaborate, fictional backstories and “lore” involving other characters. Backstories included characters like “Tim Cheese,” and a supposed “murder mystery,” which further fueled its spread online. Including the viral image of John Pork calling people.
Former-Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol assumed his executive leadership role at Starbucks back in September 2024. The company has seen a slew of new policy changes, all aimed at bettering the company’s brick-and-mortar atmosphere. Perhaps the most talked about new policy, though, involves requiring Starbucks baristas to write positive messages or draw doodles on every to-go cup.
The deputy involved, Brandon Longoria, was working a 16-hour shift when a routine coffee run turned into what he described as a derogatory name-calling incident. Longoria later posted about the encounter on his personal social media, calling it, “discouraging and disrespectful.” People on social media were quick to call out the cop for taking the meme too seriously and mentioning it is part of the employees job to draw on cups.
The employee has been fired for the incident.
