M&M’s announced Maya Rudolph as its new spokesperson. The actress-comedian will appear in the candy’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial.
Rudolph’s presence in the Super Bowl ad will replace the well-known “spokescandies,” the brand’s animated, autonomous talking M&M candies that were used in ads for decades. The announcement comes after criticism over M&M’s redesign of the cartoon spokescandies.
M&M’s, owned by parent company Mars Wrigley, made the announcement on Monday, posting an official statement via social media:
“In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. Which was the last thing M&M’s wanted since we’re all about bringing people together.”
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The statement continued by indicating that M&M’s is putting the spokescandies on “indefinite pause.”
“In their place, we are proud to introduce a spokesperson America can agree on: the beloved Maya Rudolph. We are confident Ms. Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong.”
Rudolph will play the role of “Chief of Fun” in the new ad campaign, according to People. The ad “will use her comedic talents and captivating personality to help M&M’s build on its mission to create a world where everyone feels they belong.”
The Emmy Award-winner expressed her excitement for her new gig. “I never really set out to be a ‘sweets lady,’ but I do think that there is a connection to something about comfort and joy that I really lean into,” Rudolph said. “I was already the person that likes to watch the Super Bowl for ads, so I feel like, ‘Wow, now I get to be a part of that moment!’”
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