Burger King Says Mary J. Blige Ad Was Pulled For Copyright Issues

April 04, 2012



On Monday, a Burger King commercial for a new chicken wrap starring Mary J. Blige—who was allegedly paid $2 million for her appearance—was posted on the fast food chain's YouTube account. This was not the first time Blige has used her celebrity to sell products, as she has appeared on QVC to promote perfume, but this campaign generated a stir in media, reactions ranging from joking delight to criticism of the clip's racial implications. The ad was pulled on Tuesday, while similar spots featuring other celebrities like Jay Leno and Salem Hayek remained available for viewing. The jingle featured the same melody as Blige's song, "Don't Mind," and Burger King now claims that pulled the clip from YouTube "due to a licensing issue," and for no other reason.

UPDATE 4/5/12: Mary J. Blige has released a statement apologizing, for the commercial, saying she wouldn't have released it:


“I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence. Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip... 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 go out."

Burger King has also issued an statement, saying they "would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final."

Posted: April 04, 2012
Burger King Says Mary J. Blige Ad Was Pulled For Copyright Issues