It’s been over a decade since a controversial Burger King commercial nearly derailed R&B icon Mary J. Blige’s career. Now, after the drama recently found a new life online, The Root spoke exclusively with television personality Scott Evans, who interviewed Blige for an episode of his YouTube series, “House Guest,” about the viral moment.
“I was surprised that it still felt as raw for her,” Evans told us about the interview. “I was surprised that the emotions around that– the feelings around it were still fresh.”
The drama dates back to 2012 when Blige appeared in a commercial for Burger King to promote the chain’s chicken snack wraps. In the ad, Blige sings the ingredients to the snack wrap over a hip-hop beat. But as the “Everything” singer explained during Evans’ interview, the joyful campaign soon turned into a PR nightmare after she was accused of selling out the Black community.
“I would never laugh at that,” Blige told Evans during their conversation. “My true fans did not think that was funny. The whole way that 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.”
Over time, however, the controversial ad has found a safe home on social media, with folks reviving the jingle as a comedic and playful bop. Evans, however, told us that seeing the ad resurface is still a point of contention for the “Family Affair” singer, who has worked so hard to protect herself while in the spotlight.
“I know that she is a person who is serious about her healing journey. She’s a woman who is serious about her mental and physical well-being,” Evans said of Blige. “But I was surprised to know that the feelings about [the commercial] were still so strong.”
Since its April 18 drop, Scott’s interview with Blige has gone viral. He noted that he’s seen commentary from folks who claim the incident “wasn’t that deep.” Still, he set the record straight on his reaction to Blige’s vulnerability on his show.
“Everybody thought I was getting ready to laugh with her about it, and quickly realized that that was not the case,” he said. “I just felt like, if there was a person who was going to ask this question, and if there was a time to ask this question, it was now, because I saw so much of the commentary online about it being very humorous.”
Evans added that Blige’s response has prompted some who watched the interview to reconsider making the 2012 incident a laughing matter. He said that since the episode aired, he’s received messages from folks who canceled plans to recreate the Burger King commercial for Halloween and other occasions after Blige’s candor. “We have a different experience of that content… And so it is content to us in a lot of ways,” he continued. “This was actually her life and a traumatic piece of her professional dealing.”
Like many of us, Evans grew up listening to Blige’s music as a kid, which is why he has such a soft space for the Grammy winner. He wanted this interview to showcase a different side of her that the public rarely gets to see.
“I think once we warmed up through the first act, she did come really ready to share a part of her personality, a part of her perspective that she hasn’t,” he said. “I’ve never seen Mary J. Blige like that before publicly. Never heard her talk the way that she did about certain things.”
Scott said he hopes people get more than just the Burger King commentary from his conversation with the R&B hitmaker.
“I really appreciated her showing up the way that she did,” he continued. “I’d hate for the only takeaway to be the Burger King commercial. But I think even that was such an honest and raw response. I think we should honor it rather than laugh.”
