Why Mark Zuckerberg Had a Bottle of BBQ Sauce as Decor in Facebook Rebrand Video

The Facebook CEO went viral in 2016 for raving about "smoking meats" with Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce

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Published on October 29, 2021 02:14 PM

A bottle of BBQ sauce made a cameo in Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook rebrand announcement video — and there's a good reason why.

On Thursday, Facebook, Inc. announced that it's changing the name of the company to Meta, reflecting their focus on building the metaverse.

In a Facebook video unveiling the rebrand and detailing the platform's upcoming features, Zuckerberg spoke to viewers while standing in front of a shelf featuring a nod to his past: a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.

The bottle of BBQ sauce was strategically placed as a bookend, likely referencing the CEO's 2016 live stream from his backyard where he professed his love for "smoking meats" with Sweet Baby Ray's. The video went viral at the time and memes of Zuckerberg began circulating on social media.

Earlier this year, during a Clubhouse chat, Zuckerberg told host Josh Constine that the "smoking meats" meme was his favorite internet joke of himself.

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"Probably, if I had to go with a favorite, I think it's gotta be 'smoking meats,'" he said in March, according to Insider. "I do love grilling and cooking, and that was silly, and I appreciate that everyone enjoys it."

Constine then joked, "If you ever quit your job as Facebook CEO, you have a great sponsorship deal lined up for them."

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Following Thursday's Facebook video, many people on social media joked about spotting the BBQ sauce in the background.

One person on Twitter reshared a TikTok video joking about the moment, writing, "Not the Sweet Baby Ray's 🤣🤣😭😭🤣😭💀."

"I'm about to start keeping my sweet baby Ray's bbq sauce on the shelf in the living room too," one person tweeted Friday. Another Twitter user added, "Why does he have sweet baby rays bbq on the decorative shelf."