In 1977, pop singer and former beauty queen Anita Bryant was the most polarizing woman in America. Most people remember her for two things: her Florida orange juice commercials and the time a banana cream pie hit her square in the jaw.
It happened on October 14. Bryant was sitting at a press conference in Des Moines, Iowa. She was there to push her "Save Our Children" campaign, a crusade aimed at stripping away civil rights protections for gay people. She’d already won a massive, bitter victory in Miami-Dade County, Florida, where she successfully led a movement to repeal an ordinance that protected people from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The Setup in Des Moines
She was at the height of her power, feeling basically untouchable. She was sitting between her husband, Bob Green, and a local religious leader. The cameras were rolling. Reporters were scribbling.
Then, out of the crowd, a 27-year-old activist named Thom Higgins (sometimes called Tom Higgins) stepped forward. He didn't scream or wave a sign. He just walked up and shoved a banana cream pie directly into Bryant's face.
The room went silent for a split second. Then, pure chaos.
The Quip and the Prayer
Most people forget what happened immediately after the custard settled. Bryant didn't scream or run away. Honestly, she was a pro at handling the media. She wiped some of the cream from her eyes and delivered one of the most famous—or infamous—lines in pop culture history:
"At least it's a fruit pie."
She tried to laugh it off, but the composure didn't last long. Within minutes, she began to cry. She leaned over the table and started praying for Higgins, asking God to "deliver" him from his "lifestyle." It was a surreal piece of live television that played on loop across the country.
Higgins, for his part, was tackled and arrested. He later told reporters, "I saved her a bullet." It sounds dark, but his point was that a pie was a peaceful alternative to the violence many in the LGBTQ+ community felt her rhetoric was inciting.
💡 You might also like: Jennifer Lopez Pictures Recent: Why J.Lo’s 2026 Look Is Her Most Honest Yet
Why It Actually Mattered
The Anita Bryant pie in face incident wasn't just a "gotcha" moment. It was a massive turning point for the gay rights movement. Before this, activists were mostly playing defense, trying to explain why they deserved to keep their jobs.
The pie changed the energy. It made Bryant look ridiculous instead of righteous.
The "Save Our Children" campaign was built on the idea that gay people were a threat to the family unit. Bryant famously said, "Homosexuals cannot reproduce, so they must recruit." By getting pied on national TV, that aura of moral authority took a huge dent. People started laughing at her, not with her.
The Fallout You Might Not Know
While Bryant won the battle in Florida, the pie incident signaled the beginning of the end for her career.
- The OJ Boycott: The gay community and their allies launched a massive boycott of Florida orange juice. Bars stopped serving screwdrivers, calling them "Anita Bryants" but made with apple juice instead.
- The Firing: The Florida Citrus Commission eventually realized she was becoming "radioactive" to their brand. They didn't renew her contract in 1980.
- The Divorce: Ironically, Bryant, who championed "traditional family values," filed for divorce from Bob Green in 1980. This alienated her conservative base, who viewed divorce as a sin.
She went from being the most admired woman in America (according to Good Housekeeping polls at the time) to a late-night punchline.
Higgins' Legacy
Thom Higgins didn't just disappear. He was a powerhouse in the Twin Cities activist scene. He's actually credited with coining the term "Gay Pride." He spent his life fighting for visibility and eventually became a nurse, working until he passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1994.
The pieing wasn't a prank to him. It was a tactical strike against a woman who was actively trying to make his existence illegal.
Actionable Insights: Lessons from a Pie
Looking back at the Anita Bryant pie in face moment from 2026, we can see how much it shaped modern activism. If you're looking at how social movements shift public opinion, here are a few takeaways:
- Humor as a Weapon: When an opponent takes themselves too seriously, making them the butt of a joke is often more effective than a dry policy debate.
- Visual Storytelling: One photo of a cream-covered face did more to damage Bryant’s brand than a hundred op-eds ever could.
- The Risks of Being a "Face": When a movement hitches its wagon to a single celebrity, the movement crashes when the celebrity does. Bryant’s personal life and career collapse effectively ended the momentum of "Save Our Children."
The next time you see a viral protest or a brand boycott, remember the banana cream pie in Des Moines. It wasn't just dessert; it was a shift in the American cultural landscape that we’re still feeling today.