Papa John's is reportedly planning to pull its founder from marketing after he said the N-word on a conference call
- Papa John's is pulling its founder, John Schnatter, from marketing, according to an Associated Press report citing a person familiar with the matter.
- Schnatter has appeared in everything from commercials to pizza boxes as "Papa John."
- Earlier this week, Schnatter admitted to using the N-word on a company conference call.
Papa John's is reportedly pulling its founder - John Schnatter - from marketing after the former CEO admitted to using the N-word in a company conference call.
"A person inside the company with knowledge of the decision said the decision to remove Schnatter as the marketing face of Papa John's was made by top executives and the details and exact timing are still being worked out," the Associated Press reported on Friday.
There are not plans to change the pizza chain's name at this point in time, the source told the Associated Press. Up until this point, Schnatter has acted as the company's namesake "Papa John" in everything from television ads to pizza boxes.
On Wednesday, Forbes reported that Papa John's executives and marketing agency Laundry Service held a conference call in May in an attempt to prevent controversies for the brand. Last year, Papa John's faced backlash when Schnatter blamed the NFL and players' national anthem protests for subpar sales.
"On the May call, Schnatter was asked how he would distance himself from racist groups online," a source told Forbes. "He responded by downplaying the significance of his NFL statement. 'Colonel Sanders called blacks n-----s,' Schnatter allegedly said, before complaining that Sanders never faced public backlash."
The source added that although Schnatter intended for his remarks to show his stance against racism, multiple people found it objectionable.
Schnatter admitted he made the remarks and apologized, in addition to stepping down as chairman of the company's board. He remains on Papa John's board and is the company's largest shareholder.
"Papa John's condemns racism and any insensitive language, no matter the situation or setting," Papa John's said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our company was built on a foundation of mutual respect and acceptance."
The company did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the chain's future marketing plans.
Schnatter has long been a controversial character, in large part because of his political viewpoints.
The then-CEO's statements about NFL dragged Papa John's into the middle of a polarizing debate last year, garnering backlash on the left and support on the right. Papa John's announced in late December that Schnatter would be stepping down as CEO and would be replaced by Steve Ritchie. However, Schnatter remained the chairman of the company's board.
Prior to the NFL scandal, Schnatter came under fire in 2012 for saying that the Affordable Care Act could be "lose-lose" for Papa John's franchisees and employees. The backlash was swift, with many promising to boycott Papa John's in response to Schnatter's comments.
Schnatter also donated $1,000 to President Donald Trump's campaign, though he did not publicly express support for him.