There is apparently a Hot Pocket controversy happening online, and if you're a true Hot Pocket veteran, you may already know where this is going.

A TikTok video has gone viral from a guy who says the economy must really be struggling because he bought a box of Hot Pockets and discovered something was missing.

Not the pepperoni.

Not the cheese.

The pocket.

He was talking about the little silver crisping sleeve that Hot Pockets used to come in. You put the Hot Pocket inside the sleeve, tossed it in the microwave and hoped you wouldn't bite into molten cheese 30 seconds later.

The problem with this viral outrage?

The sleeve has been gone for years.

Hot Pockets started phasing out the sleeves in 2023, and in 2024 the company even launched a marketing campaign announcing that the sleeves were officially retired.

The company said it had changed the crust recipe so the sleeve was no longer necessary.

They also claimed the new recipe included 30% more pepperoni.

And there's another reason for getting rid of the sleeves: Hot Pockets said eliminating the metallic sleeves, also called “susceptors,” saves somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 tons of paper waste every year.

So, technically, we're talking about less trash and more pepperoni.

But that hasn't stopped people online from acting like someone just announced the cancellation of the Detroit Lions.

And Michigan Hot Pocket fans have one question:

Where have you people been?

If you're just now discovering that the sleeve is gone, you're not a Hot Pocket expert.

You're a Hot Pocket casual.

A Michigan Hot Pocket veteran remembers the old days.

You'd pull that silver sleeve out of the box, carefully slide the frozen pocket inside, microwave it, and then spend the next five minutes wondering whether the cheese inside was still 4,000 degrees.

And let's clear up one important thing:

The pocket is NOT the silver sleeve.

The pocket is the actual crust holding the delicious, dangerously hot filling.

The sleeve was just the little microwave accessory.

As of now, Hot Pockets hasn't commented on the latest online controversy.

But if you're in Michigan and you've been eating Hot Pockets for years, you already know the truth:

The pocket is still there.

It's the little silver sleeping bag that disappeared.

And honestly, we're doing just fine without it.