At Vulture, we support National Treasure Maya Rudolph in all her endeavors. If that effort involves changing the name from M&M’s to Ma&Yas and adding shells, then so be it. Unfortunately for our Queen, Super Bowl Sunday not only included a win for the Kansas City Chiefs, but also a win for those pesky little chocolate Spokescandies.
The M&Ms have had a year of wild publicity. First, in January 2022, the iconic mother-green M&M ditched its tiny booties in favor of sneakers, prompting outrage from both sides of the aisle, including from Tucker Carlson — who later became furious at the inclusion of an “obese” purple M&M — because that is what people do. In response, the M&M brand pretended to retire its iconic Spoke candidates to the public, announcing they would be replaced by Maya Rudolph, which everyone can agree on. That little bit? Rudolph ruined the company with her horrible ideas, although a little salty clam with chocolate sounds good to us. You go Maya!
At the end of Super Bowl Sunday, the M&Ms officially returned to their old post with a mock press conference. “I’m glad to be back because that’s what I was made for,” Tucker Carlson’s enemy, the purple M&M, said in the commercial. “As a walking, talking candy, my options are pretty limited.” For those unfamiliar with M&M’s history, this was a confusing ads. For Carlson, it was a nightmare.