Anti-influencer ice cream van returns with epic celebrity takedown

An ice-cream van owner who made headlines back in July with a contentious message to influencers has lashed out at consumer culture once again, this time dragging a high profile celebrity into the melee.

Los Angeles’s CVT Soft Serve truck has courted plenty of controversy since owner Joe Nicchi told influencers to pay double if they wanted free ice cream, and now he’s told a successful actress to cough up or get out if she wants his services.

Sharing a screenshot of a censored email exchange, the ice cream truck owner showed his savage response to the unidentified celebrity’s social media coordinator’s request.

“I work for (censored),” the initial email reads.

“Are you available on (November 9th) for her birthday party? Would love to jump on a call to discuss comp for a social trade.”

‘Comp for a social’ refers to the common practice of providing a complimentary service, like ice cream, in exchange for promotion on a high profile celebrity’s social media.

It’s something Joe has expressed his disgust with in the past, and this time proved no exception.

“I’m not much of a gambler but I’m willing to bet that she can afford our catering rates given that she has a ‘social media coordinator’ on her payroll,” he wrote in reply.

“We support our family of four children on U.S. currency, not celebrity social media posts,” he continued.

“I have zero interest in ‘jumping on a call with you’ as I have to pay customers to attend to.”

Finishing with a bang, he signed off with his characteristic flair.

‘F**k off, Joe’.

Joe tells Yahoo Lifestyle he found the request ‘sad’ and didn’t consider it for a second.

“I think it's really sad that someone with a ton of money would try to get anything for free from a small business,” he sais.

“My family and I work extremely hard and we can't afford to work for free. I've got 4 kids!”

He also said it was no isolated incident, but the second time a well-known celebrity had approached for freebies.

“I'm sure celebrity social media promotion can be beneficial for some businesses but I have no interest in trading free product and service for a post,” he says.

“People come to our truck because our ice cream is great, not because a celebrity hired us to cater their birthday party.”

Reactions online

The post quickly drew praise from the soft serve vendor’s 20.4k followers.

With thousands of likes and comments, it looks Joe is preaching something his followers are hungry to hear.

“Damn you are the jam I swear!” one wrote.

“So gross! I love you guys for staying true to who you are,” another fan shared.

“This made my day!” another agreed.

Meanwhile others tried to deduce the identity of the conceal celeb, but Joe has so far stayed tight-lipped on the culprit.

Yahoo Lifestyle has contacted the business owner for comment.

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.

Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Or sign up to our daily newsletter here.