R&B superstar Mary J. Blige’s Burger King commercial has been pulled! In the commercial Mary sings about Burger King’s ‘crispy chicken’ snack wrap with ‘three cheeses.’ Some find that an African-American singing about ‘fried chicken’ is offensive, so stated Wendy Williams during her hot-topics segment earlier today.
Let me give you an idea of this commercial that has caused such a stir – a customer ask ‘what’s in the new crispy snack wrap?’ Mary then repeats the question and begins singing to the beat of her song “Don’t Mind,” off her latest album “My Life II…The Journey Continues.” But she’s altered the lyrics, singing “crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing, wrapped up in a tasty flour tortilla.”
CNN reports the new commercial for the fast-food-chain (which is revamping its menu) has been met with backlash. The commercial is also missing from Burger King’s YouTube channel! Burger King is blaming music licensing issues for the decision-not criticism of the ad. A rep for the chain states the company hopes to have the ads back on the air soon.
The media’s taken notice of the 30-second commercial, and so have fans. Many have taken to social media sites to express their surprise (and dismay) that someone with so much clout would agree to do such a thing – especially peddling chicken, which some say feeds into a stereotype.
Mary’s not the only celebrity featured in the ads, other commercials including Salma Hayek, David Beckham and Jay Leno, also are advertising the snack wraps.
A rep for Mary has not responded to a request for a comment.
Tell us what you think! Is the ad stereotypical or does it show the diversity of the Burger King brand?