With the possible exception of Ronald McDonald, few restaurant spokesmen/mascots have become more well-known and recognizable than KFC's Colonel Sanders. The white-haired southern gentleman has remained a fixture of the restaurant's image for decades, and the last few years have seen a number of different actors and comedians step into the role. Now, however, it looks like the restaurant has offered up a major left-turn in its Colonel Sanders casting, as country music icon (and sometimes TV actress) Reba McEntire has officially stepped in as the latest Colonel. Check out the brand new commercial featuring the singer, below!
The Colonel Sanders KFC commercials often rely on jokes and a single character talking into the camera, but true to the country music theme of Reba McEntire's casting, this one seems to have dialed up the energy quite a bit. Using a catchy country jingle, the commercial has the singer performing in front of a cheering crowd, with plenty of chicken paraded in front of the camera. Remember, this is still a KFC commercial. The casting of Reba McEntire as the new Colonel Sanders for KFC is notable for a few distinct reasons. For one, she's the latest in a long line of actors and comedians that has included Saturday Night Live alumni such as Darrell Hammond and then Norm McDonald, as well as 12 Strong actor Rob Riggle, and Parks and Recreation 's Rob Lowe. Moreover, she's also noteworthy because she's the first woman to step into the role as the iconic restaurant figurehead.
Beyond that, as this commercial clearly shows us, it looks like KFC is going to use her tenure as Colonel Sanders to lean away from comedy (which has been a relatively common trope for these commercials in recent years) and instead focus on a musical angle. It's also worth noting that whoever does the Colonel Sanders makeup for these KFC commercials did a pretty good job on Reba McEntire. Even though she actually appears in the commercial as herself, it's incredibly difficult to tell that she's the new Colonel. Check out a side-by-side comparison of the two below.
Of course, we still need to see how long Reba McEntire will remain in the role as KFC's first female Colonel Sanders. The actors who have played the part have all had different tenures, so we will wait and watch how she's received by fans as more and more people see this commercial.
As always, CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant TV news as more updates about all of your favorite shows (and KFC commercials) become available to us. There are still plenty of series left to debut this season, so make sure to hop over to CinemaBlend's comprehensive midseason premiere guide to check out all of the shows that spring 2018 has in store.
