KFC Picks Its First Female Colonel Sanders

Country singer Reba McEntire is to play the role of the southern fried chicken franchise chain’s founder, Colonel Sanders.

KFC has picked singer Reba McEntire as the first female to play the role of Colonel Sanders in its new ad campaign. Decked out in a glamorous version of Colonel Sanders trademark gear, the celebrity and KFC lover’s outfit has a fringe on the back and glittery shine for “a little bit of the country music flair” and complete with a white wig and facial hair. In the ad, Reba McEntire sings on stage in a white wig and facial hair and she is not a far cry from a younger Colonel Sanders. When asked in a recent interview, McEntire said: “I thought the transformation was really funny. I got a big kick out of it.”

Since 2015, famous names have been taking turns portraying Colonel Sanders but McEntire is the first female to ever play the role. A KFC spokesperson confirmed that the “best historical minds at KFC” couldn’t recall a woman ever stepping into Colonel Sanders shoes.

The company decided to put McEntire in the role because they felt her Southern roots was a perfect match with its new Smoky Mountain BBQ that combines KFC delicate fried chicken with deliciously smoky barbeque flavour.

After a 20 years absence, KFC resurrected its ad campaigns with the likes of Rob Lowe and Ray Liotta in the role of Colonel Sanders. The newly appointed chief marketing officer for KFC, Andrea Zahumensky said: “I think this is going to be our most-loved Colonel yet.”