A California singer who faced backlash for buying food in a drive-thru while infected with monkeypox now says it was a marketing plan gone wrong.

Duane Cali said he received threats after posting a video sipping from a McDonald’s cup in a car on Aug. 14 with sores on his hands and face and implying that he had just ordered food from the fast food restaurant with a monkeypox diagnosis. In the video, Cali said he was low on groceries and decided to take a McDonald’s run.

Many commenters said Cali should have been arrested for possibly spreading the contiguous virus and questioned why he did not use a food delivery service instead. Cali’s video also made national and local headlines. However, it was all a hoax, he says.

In a new time-lapse TikTok video posted on Aug. 28, another man applies prosthetic makeup to Cali’s skin to create a fake monkeypox rash. Cali said the stunt was an effort to promote his new single, but it seemed to backfire.

“The person who took my payment is absolutely fine,” Cali said. “This was just a promo gone wrong. I would’ve revealed this sooner, but I was taking input left and right, and I didn’t know what the hell to do.”

The Los Angeles-based artist added that he always markets his music in “unique and unconventional” ways. In one previous instance, Cali promoted a song with fake parking tickets, bringing attention to his music.

“People started off upset but eventually grew a liking,” Cali said.

The reveal video has a caption urging viewers to stream his new song “on all platforms.”

“I usually try to tie the marketing around the premise of the song. This time the song was called ‘Choose Yourself,’ so I was trying to market it in a way where it displays a person choosing themselves regardless of how other people feel about it,” he continued. “Unfortunately, it didn’t translate that way and people just ended up getting mad at me.”

Responses to Cali’s reveal were mixed. Some commenters said they figured it was a prank or a way to promote his music. Some even said it motivated them to check Cali’s tracks out. Others said they were relieved that the singer was in good health.

However, the marketing scheme did not sit well with some people.

“Had the world on edge trying to promote a song,” wrote one person.

“This is the definition of doing too much,” TikTok user Rachel Elizabeth wrote.

“I don’t need to hear anymore, this wasn’t something to joke about!!” Kaymae72 wrote.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monkeypox can spread through “close personal, often skin-to-skin contact.” A person can contract the virus by touching objects and surfaces that have been used by someone who is carrying it.

As of Aug. 22, the CDC has reported 18,101 monkeypox cases in the U.S.