Mary J. Blige Still Isn’t Laughing at That Burger King Ad
Some moments in pop culture quietly disappear. Others stick around, even when everyone wishes they would not. For Mary J. Blige, one old Burger King commercial falls into the second…
Some moments in pop culture quietly disappear. Others stick around, even when everyone wishes they would not. For Mary J. Blige, one old Burger King commercial falls into the second category.
Speaking with online creator Scott Evans, the Queen of R&B reflected on the controversial ad that caused a major backlash more than a decade ago. The commercial featured Blige singing about “crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing wrapped up in a tasty flour tortilla” over the beat of her 2011 song, “Don’t Mind.”
What may have been meant as lighthearted marketing quickly became something much heavier.
Why the Commercial Sparked Backlash
After the clip aired, many viewers criticized it for promoting racist stereotypes. Blige soon addressed the situation, saying the commercial was not what she thought would be released.
“I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence,” she said, per the Wall Street Journal. “Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip, so I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you're a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw to go out.”
Burger King also responded, saying the ad had been released too early.
“We would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final,” the burger company said in a statement. “We know how important Mary J. is to her fans, and we are currently in the process of finalizing the commercial. We hope to have the final ad on the air soon.”
The commercial was later pulled from the air. But you can still catch it floating around the internet. Take a look here.
“No. I’m Not.”
Fourteen years after the controversy, Evans asked Blige if she was “in a place where you can yet laugh” about the situation. Her answer was direct.
“No. I'm not. I would never laugh at that, because my true, honest fans did not think that s was funny,” she said. “The whole way that s went down was wrong. The way they shot it was wrong. It was set up to make exactly what happened in the press happen like that.”
Her feelings have not softened with time. The experience left a lasting impact on both her career and her personal life.
Lessons About Trust and Loyalty
At the time, Blige was represented by her then-husband, Kendu Isaacs. In 2016, she filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Looking back, Blige says the controversy taught her hard lessons about trust. She explained that after the backlash, people in her life began “treating me like I was a disease.”
“It doesn't feel good cuz I was getting clobbered for no f---ing reason. But it did show me something. One minute people are with you, and one minute they are not,” she told Evans. “It showed me just how fickle the game is. And it showed me exactly who my friends were. A lot of my so-called friends are not around anymore.”
She added that the experience, while painful, helped her see people more clearly.
“So I said, you know, I know how to do this. Thank you, Lord, for the lesson. Thank you for getting me through it. Now I know how people get down,” she continued. “And that was the blessing in the whole thing. just learning how f---ed up and fickle people are. And one day when you hot the minute some s--- happens that you can't even explain, they gone.”
