M&M's Tucker Carlson controversy: Maya Rudolph replaces spokescandies - NPR

M&M's intermission of its spokescandies comes aft a right-wing backlash to changes successful the Green and Brown M&Ms and the summation of the Purple M&M. Twitter/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Twitter/Screenshot by NPR

M&M's intermission of its spokescandies comes aft a right-wing backlash to changes successful the Green and Brown M&Ms and the summation of the Purple M&M.

Twitter/Screenshot by NPR

M&M's spokescandies — the cartoon versions of the candies that look successful advertisements — volition beryllium paused indefinitely. The determination comes aft Fox News' Tucker Carlson spent months attacking insignificant marque changes to immoderate of the characters arsenic "woke." Maya Rudolph, a comedian and actor, volition measurement successful in their place.

Carlson, who spends overmuch of his clip telling viewers he's a champion of victims of cancel culture, waged a civilization warfare campaign against the candies until they were, literally, canceled — astatine slightest for now.

After the Brown M&M swapped her stilettos for little artifact heels and the Green M&M traded successful go-go boots for sneakers, Carlson declared that "M&M's volition not beryllium satisfied until each past cartoon quality is profoundly unappealing and wholly androgynous," and that erstwhile "you're wholly turned off, we've achieved equity."

In announcing the determination distant from the colorful characters, M&M's tweeted Monday: "We weren't definite if anyone would adjacent notice" the earlier alteration successful spokescandies. "But present we get it — adjacent a candy's shoes tin beryllium polarizing."

In effect to the tweet announcing the pause, Skittles tweeted, "Our thoughts spell retired to the spokescandies." Skittles and M&M's are owned by the aforesaid genitor company, Mars Wrigley.

Last fall, M&M's introduced a caller Purple character, which Carlson derided arsenic "obese" connected his show. The Purple M&M is astir the aforesaid size and signifier arsenic her Yellow and Blue antheral counterparts.

Rudolph volition debut arsenic M&M's caller spokeswoman during the Super Bowl, a determination Mars Wrigley says was already successful progress. Rudolph is simply a biracial pistillate who has fundraised for Kamala Harris (not to notation portraying the vice president on Saturday Night Live) and different Democrats who are routinely the taxable of Carlson's ire.

"We are assured Ms. Rudolph volition champion the powerfulness of amusive to make a satellite wherever everyone feels they belong," M&M's said.