Mary J. Blige talks Burger King ad backlash. 'I was deeply affected'
Mary J. Blige talks Burger King ad backlash. 'I was deeply affected'
Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAYMon, April 20, 2026 at 7:48 PM UTC
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Mary J. Blige reflects on her 2012 Burger King ad, which received backlash when it was initially released, stating that it was not "a laughing matter."
The legendary songstress shared her thoughts about the infamous commercial during an appearance on Scott Evans' YouTube interview series, "House Guest". In the ad, Blige delivers a jingle about the fast-food restaurants' new chicken wrap sandwiches.
She sings, "Crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing, wrapped in a tasty flour tortilla." According to CBS News and the , the ad drew public outcry, with fans and Black media sites calling it out as stereotypical and offensive.
"I would never laugh at that," Blige told Evans. "My true fans did not think that (expletive) was funny. The whole way that (expletive) went down was wrong. The whole way they shot it was wrong. It was set up to make exactly what happened in the press happen like that."
The Grammy winner continued, "I was deeply, deeply affected. Now I learned a lot from it."
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Burger King issued an apology to Blige and axed the commercial, per reports, citing licensing issues and stating that it was not the final version. According to CBS, the AP and Billboard, the singer also responded to the criticism in a statement.
“I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence,” Blige said at the time. "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.”
On "House Guest," Blige further explained that "everyone dropped the ball," admitting to having bad representation and management. She provided insight into what was going on behind the scenes in her personal life.
"I was getting clobbered," she reflected. "But it did show me something. One minute, people are with you. One minute, they're not. It showed me 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, "I was like a disease to people, and nobody wanted to be affiliated."
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mary J. Blige says she was 'deeply affected' by 2012 Burger King ad
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
