It Doesn't Matter How You Feel About KFC's Colonel Sanders Because A New One Is On The Way

An estimated 20 percent of customers actively dislike the current Colonel Sanders, but like him or not, a new KFC spokesman is coming off the assembly line.

The current Colonel, played by Saturday Night Live alum Norm MacDonald will be replaced on Super Bowl Sunday by an as-of-yet unidentified actor.

The upcoming impersonator will be the third iteration of KFC's founder-based mascot since the chain resurrected its Colonel Sanders campaign last May, with a specific focus on creating a rotating cast of Colonels. The first actor to play Sanders last spring was another SNL cast member, Darrell Hammond.

"Our sole aim with the whole rebrand — which is a three-year mission that only just began — was to bring the colonel back to the forefront, and bring his values to life that helped propel Kentucky Fried Chicken into greatness," a KFC spokesperson told The Daily Meal, "and in doing so be sure that everyone, especially our millennial audience, knew Colonel Sanders was a real man.

"This tactic helps us do that. It keeps people talking about the colonel. Not just one and done. We get to leverage a suite of actors with their own take on it to bring to life the many dimensions of Colonel Sanders. We want our commercials — and all of our surround-sound marketing efforts — to surprise and delight, and have consumers enjoy the current 'colonel' but also wonder who might portray him next."

Below, watch a final farewell from Norm MacDonald as the Colonel: