A Burger King commercial featuring Mary J. Blige singing about chicken has been pulled. Burger King is blaming music licensing issues for the decision, not criticism of the ad.
As video of the new commercial about chicken snack wraps spread across the internet, many in the black community heavily criticized the ad as as stereotypical. The black women targeting website Madame Noire compared it to “buffoonery.”
On Tuesday, Burger King said 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.
The Burger King spokeswoman also pointed out that other celebrities, including actress Salma Hayek and comedian/talk show host Jay Leno, also are advertising the snack wraps.
