Emmy-winning actor Brian Cox has been torched after skewering the Bible as “one of the worst books,” and McDonald’s may not be lovin’ it.
Mr. Cox is best known as the star of HBO’s “Succession,” but the Scottish thespian and self-proclaimed socialist is also the voice of the Golden Arches, using his distinguished accent to peddle Big Macs, fries and Egg McMuffins since 2020.
Mr. Cox even sings the “ba da ba ba ba” jingle at the end of the commercials, and yet the 77-year-old thespian’s crinkly charm was nowhere to be found in his interview posted this week with “The Starting Line” podcast.
“The propaganda goes way back,” he said. “The Bible is one of the worst books, for me, from my point of view, because it starts with the idea of Adam’s rib, that out of Adam’s rib this woman was created. And they believe it, because they’re stupid.”
Having your pitchman call Christian and Jewish believers “stupid” would have most brand executives reaching for the Tums, but Mr. Cox wasn’t finished.
Asked by host Rich Leigh if people “need it,” referring to a belief in God, Mr. Cox replied, “They need it, but they don’t need to be told lies. They need some kind of truth, and that is not the truth. It is not the truth. It’s a mythology.”
Needless to say, Mr. Cox can probably rule out a gig with Chick-fil-A.
His critics were soon demanding a quarter-pound of flesh, raising questions about whether McDonald’s really is your kind of place — and what the McDonald’s marketing department thinks about its anti-capitalist, Bible-bashing salesman’s ripostes.
McDonald’s did not respond to a request for comment.
The conservative Media Research Center said Mr. Cox “does what a portion of Atheists do — crap on those that do have faith, because they’re too ‘stupid’ to have a comprehension of something bigger than themselves.”
OutKick writer Mike Gunzelman said: “Hopefully, Brian Cox‘s publicist believes in God because they’ll definitely need his help dealing with this mess he just created.”
Christian commentator Dick Delingpole observed: “It’s almost as if we shouldn’t look to actors for their towering intellect and insight.”
It’s almost as if we shouldn’t look to actors for their towering intellect and insight. https://t.co/VsiBbEELYr
— Dick Delingpole (@DickDelingpole) May 1, 2024
Mr. Cox, a classically trained actor who starred for four seasons as media patriarch Logan Roy in “Succession,” added that “the theater to me is the one true church.”
The actor, who won an Emmy for his performance in the 2001 show “Nuremberg,” is known for being outspoken. Last month, he ripped Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in “Napoleon” as “terrible,” and said he will “probably” leave the country if former President Donald Trump is reelected.
McDonald’s may have bigger issues. The fast-food giant missed its quarterly profit estimates for the first time in two years Tuesday as it raises prices to keep up with rising food costs and consumers cut back on restaurant trips.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.