McDonald’s CEO Blames His Mom’s Advice for His Viral Reaction to Trying the Big Arch Burger

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski blamed his mom’s parenting for his tiny bite and now-viral reaction to trying the fast food chain’s new Big Arch Burger

NEED TO KNOW

• The CEO recalled finding out about his viral moment from his kids before receiving an influx of calls, emails and texts

• “I’m definitely not a vegetarian,” he quipped while responding to a theory about his reaction to tasting the burger

The CEO of McDonald’s is blaming his mother for his viral reaction to trying the newBig Arch Burger.

In an interview withThe Wall Street Journalshared on Instagram on Monday, April 6,Chris Kempczinskirevealed why he took such a small and seemingly awkward bite while trying one of the fast food chain’s new menu items in anow-viral videothat he posted on Feb. 3.

“I’m definitely not a vegetarian,” the CEO quipped while responding to some of the theories surrounding his reaction to tasting the burger. “I blame it all on my mom because she told me, ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full.’ ”

“I think probably, in that case, I should have just said, ‘You know what? To hell with it, I’m gonna go talk with my mouth full.’ ”

As for why the CEO’s taste test went so viral? Many commenters claimed that Kempczinski’s reaction to tasting the burger — including saying “I love this product” — seemed to indicate that he was “acting” for the video while not actually enjoying the tiny bite he took of the burger.

“Not a single calorie was consumed in this video,” one user wrote in the comments, while another added, “Is the BIG BITE in the room with us??”

After the Feb. 3 video went viral, Kempczinski toldTheWall Street Journalthat he learned of his newfound social media fame when his kids called him and said, “Dad, you’ve gone viral — and not in a good way.”

“That’s when I knew, ‘Okay, something’s going on,’ ” he recalled. “And then I started getting texts and emails and calls. Invariably, they were all like ‘Hey, have you seen this?’ And it’s like, by the thousandth time, ‘Yeah, I’ve seen it.’ ”

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Although the response to his promotional video wasn’t all positive, Kempczinski said he was happy that people were “talking about the Big Arch” nonetheless.

“I think when you go on to social media in general you have to have a thick skin,” he added.

Beyond reactions from both fans and critics, other fast food chains — includingBurger Kingand Wendy’s — were quick to take advantage of Kempczinski’s viral moment.

On March 2, Tom Curtis, the president of Burger King U.S. & Canada, got his own viral moment when he shared avideoof himself taking an enthusiastic bite of a Whopper.

“Thought we’d replay this,” the brand wrote in the caption.

Commenters were quick to make the connection between the two videos, writing, “Now compare this to the McDonald’s CEO.”

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April 11, 2026

McDonald’s CEO Blames His Mom’s Advice for His Viral Reaction to Trying the Big Arch Burger

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski blamed his mom’s parenting for his tiny bite and now-viral reaction to trying the fast food chain’s ne...

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Noah Wyle addresses HBO changes to 'The Pitt' controversial ICE episode

Noah Wyle, star doctor on"The Pitt,"says he only found out about changes to the show's controversial ICE episode after the edits had been negotiated with HBO.

The March 19 episode, titled "5:00 p.m.," featured ICE agents bringing a detained patient into the Pittsburgh emergency room, causing fear and disruption for the patients and medical staff, and resulting in the arrest of a nurse.

Executive producerJohn Wells previously revealedthat HBO had requested changes to the episode spotlighting the hot-button political topic.

Speaking toVarietyin a story published April 9, Wyle, who is an executive producer on the show, said he was initially alarmed when he learned about the changes.

"The negotiation was being driven by political reasons, creative reasons, fear, uncertainty, all sorts of legitimate reasons," Wyle said. "I’ll be honest and say that I was concerned about the edits we were making initially."

But the slightly toned-down final result ended up being "show the bear" as opposed to "poke the bear," said Wyle. It made for a better episode.

"I actually think we arrived at something more elegant and a little bit more restrained, which leaves a little bit more ambiguity in it than we may have started out with," Wyle said. "It’s healthier for the storyline in the long run."

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Away from "The Pitt," Supriya Ganesh is an awards show star, attending the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 1.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "The Pitt" won best ensemble at the SAG Actor awards.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Isa Briones and Supriya Ganesh dance at The Actor Awards Netflix afterparty.

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'The Pitt' star Supriya Ganesh, fan-favorite Dr. Samira Mohan, exits

The episode was conceived and filmed in December. But before it premiered in March, the issue of ICE agents in emergency rooms had grown even more politically charged afterPresident Donald Trump escalated enforcement in Minnesota, and the fatal shootings ofRenée GoodandAlex Prettiintensified national scrutiny of ICE.

Wells told"The Town" podcastin February that HBO was supportive of the show: "We showed them the research and they said, 'That looks like a good story.' " But the company sought changes.

"They just wanted to make sure it was balanced," said Wells. "The thing we have to be careful about in showing any of these issues ... is to make sure we're presenting both points of view."

Wyle agreed that the attention on the topic allowed for a slightly more subtle approach.

"Because the context came out after we’d filmed that episode, we didn’t have to do half of what we had done," said Wyle. "That had already been imprinted into the mind of most Americans."

The reverberations of the ICE episode are still felt on "The Pitt," with the staff emotionally reeling as the award-winning series moves to its Season 2 finale on April 16.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Noah Wyle talks 'The Pitt' ICE episode controversy, HBO's changes

byCustos Caelorum

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April 11, 2026

Noah Wyle addresses HBO changes to 'The Pitt' controversial ICE episode

Noah Wyle, star doctor on"The Pitt,"says he only found out about changes to the show's controversial ICE episode after th...

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LFO's Brad Fischetti Shares Heartbreak Over the Tragic Early Deaths of All Three Of His Bandmates: 'How Could This Happen?'

Brad Fischetti originally started LFO with Rich Cronin and Brian 'Brizz' Gillis

NEED TO KNOW

• When Gillis left the group, he was replaced by Harold 'Devin' Lima, who became one of Fischetti's best friends

• Fischetti opens up about the death of all three of his bandmates before they reached the age of 50

Brad Fischetti has experienced tremendous loss in his time in a boy band.

In ID'sBoy Band Confidential,Fischetti speaks candidly about being the last surviving member of LFO. The trio "started as a rap group," and evolved as the original lineup — Fischetti, Rich Cronin and Brian "Brizz" Gillis — got their start.

In 1998, Gillis left the group and was replaced by Harold 'Devin' Lima. The new trio "wrote a lot of our songs ourselves," which was uncommon for the landscape at the time.

"'Summer Girls,' it's an anthem. It's this classic... the video could be shot today, you know? We did the ocean, the beach scene. At the end, Devin and I had our arms around each other and walked into the ocean. It's really timeless."

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Not only was "Summer Girls" a hit, but their second single, "Girl on TV," also charted, inspired by the fact that Cronin "was infatuated with Jennifer Love Hewitt," who they got to appear in the music video.

When it came to their third single, however, the band started seeing their momentum slow down. "It got added to a bunch of radio stations, but it didn't really hit. When the sales didn't hit, I think the label was like, 'Well, that's that. Time to move on.' "

The group disbanded and in 2005, Fischetti got a call from Cronin's brother with heartbreaking news.

"He's like, 'Hey Brad, I got some bad news. Rich has leukemia.' I had heard that Rich was having trouble with his legs. So I texted him like, 'Hey man, I heard you were having some trouble walking. I figure there's two ways to get you out of bed — one is a beautiful blonde, or a tour.' I said, 'What do you think? You want to tour again?'"

Fischetti never got a response. "A few weeks later, I found out from a fan, actually, that he had died."

The loss was hard for Fischetti, but he still had a close relationship with Lima, who was living with him at the time.

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"We just started making music together. So we did a tour, it's amazing," Fischetti recalls. "We were going to do two more legs, but I remember one day, I was at my office and Alan, who played acoustic guitar for us, he came in and goes, 'Can you talk? Devin's in the hospital.' "

He continued, "Devin was never sick. I run to the hospital and he's not in his bed. He's sitting on a chair, meditating. But then, on the desk, they hav a list of doctors and one of the doctors listed was an oncologist. And I was like, 'Oh my God.' "

Fischetti tearfully explained that Lima had a "very rare cancer, called primary adrenal cancer," adding, "Your adrenal gland's like a little acorn-sized organ on top of your kidney, and it just engulfed his entire kidney."

The cancer spread throughout Lima's body and, "For the next year, nothing worked."

"I used to yell at God, like, 'Please don't take him. Please.' He passed away and he was not only my bandmate, but my best friend."

Fischetti took himself to a doctor, looking into his own health. When he got good news for himself, he thought it was the end of a painful saga, but that didn't prove to be the case. In 2023, Fischetti received a call from his manager with more difficult news.

"He goes, 'I don't think you're ready for this.' Then he goes, 'Brian's dead.' "

The news was devastating for Fischetti, who recalls, "I cried like the way I died when Devin died... How could this happen? How is this possible, that these three guys under 50 are all dead?"

"If you look from the outside, people say, 'Oh, LFO is cursed.' I don't really believe in that kind of stuff. But who knows? Maybe by the time this airs, I'm gone," he said.

Today, Fischetti keeps the band's legacy going, performing LFO's biggest hits with members of O-Town.

Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Eventpremieres Monday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID, with both titles available to stream on HBO Max. The second season ofHollywood Demonspremieres Monday, April 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID.

Read the original article onPeople

byCustos Caelorum

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April 11, 2026

LFO's Brad Fischetti Shares Heartbreak Over the Tragic Early Deaths of All Three Of His Bandmates: 'How Could This Happen?'

Brad Fischetti originally started LFO with Rich Cronin and Brian 'Brizz' Gillis NEED TO KNOW When Gillis l...

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'SNL' season closes out with plenty of Olivia Rodrigo, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney

NEW YORK (AP) —Matt Damon,Will Ferrell andPaul McCartneywill help close out the“Saturday Night Live”season, along with a double dose of Olivia Rodrigo.

Rodrigo will do double duty as host and musical guest on May 2, marking her hosting debut and third time as musical guest, ahead of her new album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”

Damon, promoting Christopher Nolan's “The Odyssey,” will host the following week for the third time on May 9. Noah Kahan will perform as that show's musical guest, for the second time.

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Ferrell, who leadsNetflix's upcoming “The Hawk,” will host the 51st season finale on May 16 — his sixth time hosting. His musical guest will be McCartney, who will take the stage as musical guest for the fifth time.

Colman Domingo and musical guest Anitta are on tap this Saturday.

The NBC sketch comedy show airs at 11:30 p.m. Eastern and streams live on Peacock.

byCustos Caelorum

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April 10, 2026

'SNL' season closes out with plenty of Olivia Rodrigo, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney

NEW YORK (AP) —Matt Damon,Will Ferrell andPaul McCartneywill help close out the“Saturday Night Live”season, along with a double dose of...

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Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens recovering after breaking neck

NASHVILLE (AP) — Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens broke his neck and is recovering at home after being briefly hospitalized, according to a statement published Tuesday.

Ray Stevens Broken Neck

The 87-year-old country star, who is known for his topical satire, fell late last month, according to the statement released on his X account. He will need to wear a neck brace for about a month.

“He remains fully mobile & in good spirits," the statement said.

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Stevens' decades-long recording career has included such hits as the Grammy-winning “Everything Is Beautiful" as well as the zany “The Streak," which captured the mid-1970s craze for running naked in public.

Born Harold Ray Ragsdale, Stevens's music was also known for its social commentary. In 1961, he recorded “Jeremiah Peabody’s Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills,” which made fun of the advertising industry.

His latest album is expected to be released Friday on Curb Records.

In July, Stevens suffered a mild heart attack and had heart surgery, according to a post on his X account. His performances at his CabaRay Showroom in Nashville, Tennessee, were canceled for the rest of the month as he recovered.

byCustos Caelorum

in

April 10, 2026

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens recovering after breaking neck

NASHVILLE (AP) — Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens broke his neck and is recovering at home after being briefly hospitalized...

Read More