Sandwiched between Diet Coke and regular Dew, Dr. Pepper sits pretty as the 4th most popular brand of soda in the United States. After more than 100 years in production, the beverage has cemented itself as one of the premier soft drinks in the world.
With such a lucrative market and a fanbase that relies on the beverage for everything from a refreshing sip to a base for BBQ, Dr. Pepper has secured a position in the American household. Or has it? Rumors have been swirling that the soda is being discontinued in the near future, and to say it’s caused a ruckus would be an understatement.
Here’s what you need to know about the potential discontinuation of Dr. Pepper.
Is Dr. Pepper discontinued?
In short, Dr. Pepper is not being discontinued. As stated above, Dr. Pepper is the 4th most popular soft drink in the United States. The soda, which isn’t considered a cola, root beer, or fruit-flavored drink, sells around 632 million cases a year. According to Keurig Dr. Pepper, which manufactures the drink for the Coca-Cola company, Dr. Pepper generates around 14.5 billion dollars a year worldwide.
That number might be a fraction of what Coca-Cola makes a year (somewhere around $32 billion), but the manufacturer would be crazy to discontinue the line. Even so, rumor mills are working overtime to grind out this Dr. Pepper myth.
Where did the Dr. Pepper rumor come from?
Around the end of February, rumors that Dr. Pepper was being discontinued flooded onto TikTok. Users were quick to react with outrage, depression, and — in the case of those Dr. Pepper haters — joy. Users flocked to the site to drop their hot takes, with a large percentage of Texans willing to wage war for their favorite drink.
Dr. Pepper was originally manufactured in Waco, Texas and 100 years later, Texans drink a staggering amount of the beverage. According to Texas Monthly, every man, woman, and child in the state drinks approximately 1 can of Dr. Pepper every 3 days.
Despite Dr. Pepper denying the rumor on TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, it’s continued to spread like wildfire. Users have tried to pinpoint why this tall tale is spreading so rapidly, but they’ve had little success. Regardless of where the rumor came from or why, rest easy knowing that Dr. Pepper is going nowhere fast. An official spokesperson for the company had this to say:
“Hey internet, You can all cool your thumbs, because Dr Pepper is not being discontinued. *applause* This rumor started with a TikTok video posted earlier this week. No more Dr Pepper would be very upsetting. World crushing. The worst of all time. But you have nothing to worry about. Dr Pepper isn’t going anywhere. These 23 flavors are 4 life.”