SNL' Star Claims He Was Blindsided When KFC Suddenly Dumped Him for Another 'Colonel Sanders'

Almost a year after being fired from his job portraying Colonel Sanders in Kentucky Fried Chicken advertisements, "Saturday Night Live" veteran Darrell Hammond is not happy about how the relationship ended — and he's talking about it.

In May 2015, KFC decided to bring back the fast food company's iconic spokesman, casting Hammond to appear as the colonel in a new series of commercials and web videos.

Darrell Hammond as Colonel Sanders (Image source: YouTube)

Three months after introducing Hammond as the new Colonel Sanders, KFC announced the comic was being replaced by another "SNL" alum, Norm Macdonald.

Norm Macdonald as Colonel Sanders (Image source: YouTube)

Macdonald was soon replaced by yet another comic, Jim Gaffigan.

Jim Gaffigan as Colonel Sanders (Image source: YouTube)

While there was considerable speculation about the reason Hammond was replaced by Macdonald and then Macdonald was bounced in favor of Gaffigan, no definitive reason was given by KFC's parent company Yum! Brands.

Last week, during an appearance on the SiriusXM's "Opie Radio," Hammond opened up about his brief run as Colonel Sanders, his unexpected termination and how it has tainted his mindset for future roles.

Hammond talked about meeting the Sanders family in the build up to shooting the KFC commercials: "It was this whole thing — they turned it into a religious experience."

The famous mimic appeared to be mystified by the termination, which had apparently been planned from the beginning. Had the company been clear with the actor about their intentions to have many actors rotating through the role, he would not have rejected the opportunity. "I still would have done the job," Hammond said.

"That was the last time I get emotionally invested in my work — I felt like a fool," Hammond told the radio audience.

Yum! Brands, KFC's parent company has not responded to TheBlaze's request for clarification and comment on Hammond's statements.

Watch the exchange (Content warning: strong language):

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