Yes, we would. And we are looking forward to the upcoming commercial starring FedEx as a fast food worker. But not everyone is psyched about it.
Real-life fast food employees are reportedly K-Fed up over the Super Bowl ad that features The Gossip‘s favorite loser as a lowly fry cook at a fake burger joint.
In the 30-second spot for Nationwide Insurance, FedEx dresses in a pimp-style black striped suit and fedora, daydreaming of becoming a rap superstar. But then the failed freeloader snaps out of it and returns to reality – where he’s working at the faux “Tomy’s Burgers” in a rough Los Angeles neighborhood.
Restaurant employees aren’t loving this PR.
“A sudden change in Federline’s career could have been depicted with him holding an unemployment benefit check,” said Annika Stensson of the National Restaurant Association.
“It shouldn’t be necessary to disrespect others to get a point across. It’s insulting to the 12.8 million restaurant workers in America. It’s a negative, unfair and inaccurate reflection. It’s not Kevin Federline we take issue with, but the depiction of where he ends up.”
And workers at fast-food restaurants across the city agree, saying Federline should be the last one to judge their job choice because he married into money.
Some workers agree. One McDonald’s server said she was furious that K-Fed – who was a delivery boy at Pizza Hut before meeting Britney Spears at an L.A. club – made it seem like her job was hardly an accomplishment.
“There’s a lot to the job – we have to be quick, keep it clean, keep it fast, keep the food hot,” Norma Ortiz, 18, who plans to study medicine at college in the fall, told the New York Post.
Nationwide said the ad is simply a humorous take on one person’s life.
“In this commercial we use a humorous characterization of Kevin Federline’s life to encourage others to prepare for sudden changes in their lives,” said spokesman Eric Hardgrove. “The intent of the ad isn’t to offend or insult the fine individuals who work in the restaurant industry. The focus of the ad is the element of surprise, not the setting of a fast food chain.”
Our take: At least the father of Jayden James and Sean Preston is doing something to make some money on his own – ironically, by making fun of himself for losing his meal ticket.
Although companies tend to keep their Super Bowl commercials top secret until they air, Nationwide will premiere its ad early, next Monday, on its website. We’re hoping for a sequel where K-Fed works at the gas station.