Burger King Apologizes to Mary J. Blige for Controversial Ad

A controversial Burger King ad starring Mary J. Blige did not turn out quite as the singer expected, TMZ reports. “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,” Blige told the gossip site of the ad, which has her singing about a new chicken wrap at the fast food chain to the tune of her song, “Don’t Mind.” “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.”

Blige’s Burger King spot was pulled from the airwaves earlier this week. Though the ad was widely criticized for playing into African-American stereotypes, the company said it was taken out of circulation due to music licensing issues.

Burger King issued a public apology to Blige yesterday. “Unfortunately, the Mary J. Blige commercial was released prematurely before all of the licensing and final approvals were obtained,” the company said in a statement. “We would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final. We know how important Mary J. is to her fans, and we are currently in the process of finalizing the commercial. We hope to have the final ad on the air soon.”