KFC’s Super Bowl ad will have another new comic play Colonel Sanders.
Jim Gaffigan, a stand-up comedian with a Comedy Central show, put on a trimmed white goatee and mustache to portray the Colonel in KFC’s new ad.
Gaffigan is taking the reins from Norm Macdonald, an actor and former “Saturday Night Live” star, who portrayed the Colonel in several KFC ads over the past few months.
The new 30-second ad features “the real” Colonel Sanders, played by Gaffigan, waking from a nightmare in which Macdonald had stolen his identity.
Jim Gaffigan as Colonel Sanders
The new ad will air during the CBS broadcast of Sunday’s pregame and in the second half of the live stream of the game.
Colonel Harland Sanders was the businessman who founded the chain and created its original chicken recipe. Sanders, who died in 1980, was long the restaurant’s primary spokesman.
Gaffigan will be the third comedian to portray Sanders since KFC began using his likeness in its ads again last summer. Darrell Hammond was the first to take on the role.
KFC says its Colonel-centric ad campaign has been well-received by consumers. The company said in a press release that it’s “won over previously skeptical consumers.”
The chain has been performing well for its parent company, Yum Brands. In its latest earnings update on Feb. 3, Yum Brands reported KFC sales were up 7% last quarter.
