The Brief: A milkshake duck is a beloved celebrity who suddenly loses popularity after their misdeeds are made public.

DEEP DIVE
The term originated from this tweet:
The whole internet loves Milkshake Duck, a lovely duck that drinks milkshakes! *5 seconds later* We regret to inform you the duck is racist
— who pixelates the boatmen? (@pixelatedboat) June 12, 2016
After that, people started using the term milkshake duck to characterize previously well-liked stars who quickly getΒ canceledΒ or milkshake ducked after news comes out of their past or present bad behavior. The scandals of milkshake ducks have involved sexual misconduct, racist comments, support for people who have been accused of such things, and more.
With the rapid spread of information via social media, unerasable aspects of the internet, and the rise of the #MeToo movement, many celebrities are getting milkshake ducked. This phenomenon shows a rise in the number of famous people who have been outed for their bad behavior, as well as the way people are setting higher standards for the public figures that they stan.
Milkshake Duck always on time πππ
— yc (@yc) October 21, 2018
yesterday i was with some friends who are slightly less Online than i am and i heard myself say out loud "oh no brother nature got milkshake ducked" and the silence that followed made me want to reorganize my whole life
— casey mcquiston (@casey_mcquiston) October 22, 2018
kanye was like the ultimate milkshake duck. he's like a cheesecake duck. or a milkshake dolphin.
— Open Mike Eagle (@Mike_Eagle) May 15, 2018