More than a decade after one of the most heavily criticized celebrity ads of the early 2010s, Mary J. Blige says the backlash from her short-lived Burger King commercial still hits close to home.
Speaking on Scott Evans’ podcast Guest House, released April 17, the R&B legend looked back at the 2012 campaign and made it clear that her feelings about it haven’t softened with time.
Mary J. Blige appeared in a Burger King commercial promoting its chicken snack wraps, performing a jingle in what was meant to be a stylized dream sequence. However, the ad quickly faced backlash, with viewers accusing it of playing into racist stereotypes.
Burger King removed the commercial within days—first blaming licensing complications, before later admitting it had aired before receiving final approval.
She explained that the version of the campaign she signed on for was completely different from what eventually aired to the public.
The singer also shut down the idea that enough time has passed for the moment to be laughed off or turned into a meme. When Scott Evans asked if she can joke about it now, Mary J. Blige responded bluntly: “No. It’s still not a laughing matter to me.”
She went on to say the backlash went way beyond headlines, especially since many of her loyal fans were left confused by the situation.
“My true honest-to-true fans did not think that sh*t was funny,” Blige said. “I was deeply, deeply affected.”
Blige also opened up about issues behind the scenes at the time, pointing to “bad representation, bad management, bad everything” during that phase of her career.
According to her, the situation completely shifted how she sees the industry and the people in it, noting how quickly support can disappear.
“One minute people are with you, and one minute they are not,” she said. “It showed me just how fickle the game is.”
Still, Blige says the experience pushed her to level up, leading her to build a stronger business empire—including film projects with Lifetime—and focus more on creating opportunities on her own terms.
