Mary J. Blige’s Burger King Commercial Pulled-Criticized
Mary J. Blige’s Burger King commercial, which featured the Grammy-winning R&B star singing about chicken, has been pulled off the air. The fast-food chain is blaming music licensing issues, not criticism of the ad, for the decision to pull it.
The ad, which features Blige singing soulfully about chicken wraps, premiered this week. But as the video went viral, some in the black community criticized the ad as stereotypical. The black women-oriented website Madame Noire likened it to “buffoonery.”
Burger King said Tuesday the commercial was pulled because of a licensing concern. The company said it hopes to have the Blige “ads back on the air soon,” though a spokeswoman would not comment on whether they ads would be the same.
(Photo by Skip Bolen/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)