Last summer, award-winning Australian professional surfer Mick Fanning went through a near-death experience during a competition in South Africa, when he was caught on live television basically being attacked by a shark, though he was ultimately able to fight it off and survive, going viral in the process - and the new KFC shark ad remembers the experience.
In the new KFC shark ad, the company shows a twist to what happened (in real life, Fanning kicked off the shark to push it away in a very "Jaws"-like scenario); the video stars a lookalike actor playing the surfer, who grabs the shark and lifts it while pirouetting - and Fanning's mother didn't find the parody remotely amusing.
Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald about KFC's shark ad, Elizabeth Osborne, Fanning's mother, calls the parody disrespectful not only to her son's own experience but to anyone who has ever been a victim of a shark attack.
"They've put a lookalike in the video. It really brings back a lot of trauma for everybody who has been attacked by a shark," Osborne told the Australian outlet about the controversial KFC shark ad. "Some families have had fatalities and some people are still absolutely scarred without limbs. It's disrespectful to them and Mick is not at all happy with that."
According to BBC, the surfer's mother is hardly the only person angry over the new KFC shark ad, as it appears that the World Surf League (WSL), the agency that governs the sport globally, might take legal action against Kentucky Fried Chicken so they'll cut the disrespectful campaign short, though they've denied to comment on the matter.
As International Business Times reports, the unfortunate video is being shown on South African television right now to advertise the company's new burger, the Jacked Up Double Crunch, calling it "next level awesome."
Watch the KFC shark ad below and judge for yourself.
