Burger King is not pulling its advertisement featuring Mary J. Blige singing about crispy chicken and fresh lettuce permanently. Contrary to rumors, the fast food giant only pulled the advertisement late Monday due to licensing issues.
“The Mary J. Blige advertisement was pulled off of the Burger King YouTube channel due to a music-licensing issue, which Burger King is in the process of resolving. We expect to have the ads back up and on air soon,” a statement read Tuesday. “Burger King enlisted a diverse cast of A-list celebrities representing the many faces of the American melting pot. Mary J. Blige is just one of the celebrities helping to promote our new menu items, including Garden Fresh Salads, Snack Wraps, Crispy Chicken Strips, Real Fruit Smoothies and Frappes.”
The controversial ad has received mixed reviews from those who were able to see it briefly on Monday. Some say the ad played into stereotypes while others thought the ad was completely beneath Blige.
Blige has not said anything publicly about the ad, which finds her singing about Burger King’s new menu items including chicken strips atop a table.
Sofia Vergara and Jay Leno have also shot ads to promote the revamped Burger King.
