Pete Davidson To Thank For Saving The Best Fast Food Chain
Pete Davidson's Taco Bell commercials are credited for helping the chain set a new sales record in 2022.
Of all the things Pete Davidson can be blamed for, from keeping Kim Kardashian in the spotlight to inadvertently pushing Kanye West off the deep end, his greatest crime against humanity may be saving Taco Bell. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the fast food chain which has been a favorite of stoners for decades, but as Market Insider reports, the former Saturday Night Live cast member helped the corporation set new records.
It’s been a rough few years for fast-food, including the Mexican-inspired chain, but Pete Davidson’s ad campaign late last year launched Taco Bell to an all-time high. Specifically, Davidson’s endorsement led to 45 million Mexican Pizzas being bought in just four months. That was enough to launch US profits 14% higher than 2021, with international profits reaching an eye-popping 23% increase.
People like different food, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but Pete Davidson was specifically brought in to raise awareness of Taco Bell’s breakfast options. Alongside Doja Cat, the CEO of the restaurants parent company Yum David Gibbs, credits the celebrities for a 7% jump in breakfast items purchased year-to-year. When someone thinks of Taco Bell, it’s usually the rather good burritos or chalupas that come to mind, but now thanks to one of Machine Gun Kelly’s best friends, it’s just as likely to be pizza and sausage.
Gibbs did not disclose exactly how much Pete Davidson was paid for the ads supporting Taco Bell’s newest, and strangest, items. Despite the incredible gains posted by the fast-food provider, the stock has been flat at $131 a share. That’s likely due to factors will beyond their control and not related to Mountain Dew Baja Blast finally being available at retail over the last few summers.
Pete Davidson net worth isn’t nearly as high as the profits posted by Taco Bell last year, but it’s still more than most Americans make in a lifetime. that’s not bad for a kid from Staten Island that was one of the youngest Saturday Night Live performers of all time. So not only is he rich, the face of a successful ad campaign that brought Yum to profitability last year, but somehow the comedian has a dating rolodex that puts Leonardo DiCaprio to shame.
Most recently, he was linked to his Bodies Bodies Bodies co-star Sui Wonders, but in the past he’s also dated super-model Emily Ratajkowski, Larry David’s daughter Cazzie David, pop mega-star Ariane Grande, Underworld star Kate Beckinsale, Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber, and Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor. Pete Davidson’s love of Taco Bell has not been blamed as the reason for any of the break-up’s, but considering it’s bean heavy, it likely didn’t help.
Other celebrity endorsements have catapulted brands, with the greatest of all time being George Foreman signing on to market a tabletop grill. Just this last year, Pete Davidson’s fellow Taco Bell endorser Doja Cat brought nearly a billion eyeballs to JBL speakers just from wearing the brand and making a short TikTok video.
Pete Davidson’s career now that he has left Saturday Night Live is still taking shape, but with a role in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and a major advertising deal with Taco Bell, he’s going to be just fine away from 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
