Two Fast-Food Chains Bow Out of Carvey Show; Pepsi-Cola Stays
Taco Bell Corp. and the Church Lady are getting a quickie divorce.
Less than 24 hours after the “Taco Bell Dana Carvey Show” made its debut on prime-time network television, the Irvine-based fast-food company on Wednesday told ABC-TV Channel 7 that it was pulling the corporate plug on Carvey’s irreverent brand of humor.
Within hours, Pizza Hut, which had signed on as title sponsor for an upcoming episode, followed suit. And in an unusual move, ABC executives issued a statement acknowledging that “portions of the premiere episode went too far. We will be more careful in the future.”
However, Pepsi-Cola Co., which signed on as sponsor for three upcoming shows, is not dropping out.
“Our only comment is that there’s only been one episode, so it’s really too early to know whether or not the show works for our brands,” Pepsi-Cola spokesman Brad Shaw said. “So we’ll stay tuned.”
All three companies are units of PepsiCo Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., but each company made an independent decision on sponsorship.
Tuesday night’s show--which won its time slot by attracting viewers in 13.6 million homes--opened with a relatively light-hearted comedy skit that included several playful pokes at Taco Bell’s corporate sponsorship. A unique aspect of the show is that its title will include a rotating commercial sponsor that Carvey will spoof each week.
Carvey cavorted with actors, one dressed as a taco and one as the company’s trademark bell.
In addition to playing its regular commercials, Taco Bell had agreed to let its name and image be used during the show. Sources said Taco Bell wasn’t bothered by being parodied by Carvey as much as it was offended by the content of other skits.
The half-hour show quickly reverted to the irreverent style that Carvey honed as a player in NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live” between 1986 and 1993. Wednesday’s sponsor pullout catapulted ABC and Taco Bell into the growing debate over what constitutes appropriate fare for the nation’s TV airwaves.
At one point, during an impersonation of President Clinton in a skit about campaign promises, Carvey unbuttoned his shirt and exposed three fake sets of breasts, while pretending to suckle a baby, two dogs and a cat.
During another segment that ripped GOP presidential candidates, Carvey’s ersatz Patrick J. Buchanan made several derogatory references to Mexican immigrants. And, a top 10 list of new names that Carvey suggested for England’s Princess Diana included the words “slut” and “whore.”
While the humor wasn’t likely to stun “Saturday Night Live” devotees, it apparently surprised executives at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
“I think the content took everyone by surprise,” Pizza Hut spokesman Chris Romoser said. “Maybe it’s a case of what works at 11:30 on Saturday night doesn’t work at 9:30 on a weeknight. The show may very well go on to be a big hit, but we’re no longer comfortable as a title sponsor.”
Taco Bell spokeswoman Amy Sherwood wished Carvey well, but quickly added that “the format of his show doesn’t work for Taco Bell as title sponsor, and we’ve let ABC know that we will not continue as the title sponsor.”
