Why Amy Schumer is getting blamed for the national tampon shortage

Procter & Gamble is bizarrely blaming comedian Amy Schumer for a national tampon shortage.

Schumer, 41, appeared in advertisements for Tampax — America’s most popular tampon brand owned by P&G — aiming to normalize conversations about menstruation in July 2020.

“Retail sales growth has exploded,” company spokeswoman Cheri McMaster told Time magazine, saying demand is up 7.7% since the Oscars 2022 host starred in the series of commercials for the corporation almost two years ago.

Tampax tampons are currently hard to come by at grocery stores in many parts of the country, “with Amazon sellers taking advantage of the shortage.” In January, the outlet reports, one box of 18 Tampax “listed for $114, about $6 more more — per tampon — than women usually pay.” In addition to raging shortage complaints in Reddit threads, a charity that supports homeless women has also seen a “big drop off” in donations of the feminine hygiene product.

The company is apparently running Tampax factory workers ragged in Maine — with McMaster claiming the manufacturer is operating 24 hours a day in an attempt to plug the dam of demand.

Is Schumer’s effective hype job to blame? The Post has reached out to both the “Trainwreck” star and P&G for comment.

Meanwhile, P&G “posted its biggest sales gain in decades in the most recent quarter, and the amount of money it made from sales in its feminine care division was up 10%.”

But Time reporter Alana Semuels appears skeptical of P&G’s claim that “Life or Beth” star Schumer is responsible for the shortage — questioning whether contemporary commercials alone actually have the power to move products out the door.

Plus, other brands of tampons — including Playtex — are also in short supply, and they don’t have an Emmy winner and Tony nominee to blame.

Time claims the COVID-19 pandemic is partially responsible, as cotton, plastic and paper pulp used to make tampons have been in high demand to make masks and other personal protective equipment — putting pressure on the supply chain.

Factory closures and staff shortages have also contributed to the problem.

Meanwhile, tampons aren’t the only essential item that is hard to find in stores across the country.

Panicked parents are grappling with a crippling shortage of baby formula, with the crisis predicted to continue for two more months.

The shortages have sparked fights in supermarket aisles and the hospitalization of two infants.

Meanwhile, it’s unclear how much Schumer was paid for the purportedly influential commercials, but P&G excitedly announced their partnership with the comedian in a press release in July 2020.

“When we chose to focus on tampon and period education, we knew Amy Schumer was a perfect fit because Amy doesn’t shy away from anything,” they stated.

“Our goal is to make period and tampon conversations as normal as periods and the first step is getting people comfortable talking about them,” they added. “We hope this partnership and our new, engaging ‘edu-tainment’ period and tampon content will encourage more people to laugh, talk and learn about them.”