M&M's Spokescandies Get the Axe After Conservative Meltdown

Apparently, we can't have nice, sweet, candy-coated chocolate things. M&M's announced on Monday that it was taking an "indefinite pause" from its spokescandies, and would have actor and comedian Maya Rudolph as its new spokesperson.

The company said it didn't want its candies to be "polarizing."

M&M's characters caused a stir with conservative commentators following the company's "Flip the Status Quo" marketing campaign. That campaign helped fundraise for women in creative fields and featured bags with three female M&M's spokescandies, NBC News reports. Fox News's Tucker Carlson lost it over the cartoons, calling the campaign "woke" — which he's done before when the company has changed the characters.

“America, let’s talk. In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it—even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. Which was the last thing M&M’s wanted, since we’re all about bringing people together," the company said in a statement posted to Twitter.

M&M's continued: "Therefore, we have decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies. In their place, we are proud to introduce a spokesperson America can agree on: the beloved Maya Rudolph. We are confident Ms. Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong."

While many criticized M&M's for ending the spokescandies's run, other praised the decision to work with Rudolph.

“I am a lifelong lover of the candy and I feel like it’s such an honor to be asked to be part of such a legendary brand’s campaign,” Rudolf said to Today.com, adding, “It’s a very fun pairing, if I do say so myself.”

The Saturday Night Live alum and legend has been given the honorific title of "Chief of fun."

“I think little Maya would be thrilled to get to work with M&M’s,” she said.

Although unable to share much about what upcoming campaigns might look or sound like, M&M's revealed Rudolph will appear in the candy’s Super Bowl ad — which will air during the game on Sunday, February 12.

A spokesperson for M&M's told Yahoo Entertainment, "Maya will serve as the brand's new spokesperson, allowing the colorful cast of M&M's spokescandies to step away and embrace a new path to pursue other passions. While we can’t say much more now, fans should keep an eye on M&M's social media channels and MMS.com to see more of Maya's journey, and we will share more on the spokescandies new pursuits over the next few weeks."