Actor and comedian David Alan Grier set off a frenzy on Thursday when he took to Twitter to announce he would be taking over as Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Col. Sanders. The news of Grier becoming the fast food company’s top pitch man was shot down by a KFC executive, the New York Daily News reports.
“Breaking News: David Alan Grier has been cast as the first African-American Colonel Sanders in the new KFC ad campaign,” read Grier’s tweet from this morning, which was shared over 100 times via retweets. Initially, it looked like Grier’s joke could have morphed into an opportunity as the Twitter account for KFC responded kindly to the message.
Breaking News: David Alan Grier has been cast as the first African American Colonel Sanders in the new KFC ad campaign. #KFC
— David Alan Grier (@davidalangrier) March 3, 2016
.@davidalangrier I saw your tweet. I’ve always been a huge fan of yours, but I never knew you were such a fan of mine! Excited! DM me!
— KFC (@kfc) March 3, 2016
However, a statement from KFC executive Kevin Hochman offered that there are no immediate plans to revamp the Col. Sanders character despite the passionate response from fans. Hochman did say he’d be willing to speak to Grier over one KFC’s signature $5 Doll Fill Ups meals.
The late Colonel Harland Sanders spent many of his formative years in Indiana and began making his “secret recipe” fried chicken during his stint as a Kentucky service station owner in the early 1930s. He was given the honorary title of colonel in 1935 and was not a military officer.
A black Colonel Sanders has to improve the sodium ladden greasy chicken.