Controversy over M&M's “woke” spokescandies is playing a role in the brand’s Super Bowl ad strategy.

An announcement on the brand’s social channels this morning said the spokescandies would take an “indefinite pause,” in light of controversy, and that comedic actor Maya Rudolph would instead be the candy’s new spokesperson. M&M's named Rudolph its “chief of fun” and said she will appear in its upcoming Super Bowl ad. The Mars-owned brand earlier confirmed it would run a 30-second ad in the second quarter of the game from BBDO New York.

The announcement acknowledges the controversy M&M’s inadvertently created by making changes to its mascot candies a year ago. Meant to reflect the diverse and nuanced world of its fans, M&M's toned down aggressive tendencies in some characters and changed the footwear on others. For instance, Green—which previously had a persona as a flirtatious sidekick—lost her sexy boots in favor of stylish sneakers. 

The move drew a swift backlash over “wokeness” in society, with figures such as Tucker Carlson expressing particular indignation. In today's social media statement, M&M’s took the controversy at its face, saying, “we get it—even a character’s shoes can be polarizing. Which is the last thing M&M’s wanted since we’re all about bringing people together.”

This morning’s Twitter post drew 5 million views and nearly 3,000 replies in a matter of hours, proving the spokescandies can still draw a crowd. So don’t expect them to stay away for good.

Indeed, the announcement—which is suggestive of a Super Bowl PR stunt—suggests the brand is comfortable leaning into culture wars. It has already captured the attention of publications ranging from the New York Times to TMZ, whose headline blared “Melting down spokescandies over ‘woke’ uproar.”

“While we can’t say much more now, fans should keep an eye on M&M’s social media channels and MMS.com to see more of Maya’s journey, and we will share more on the spokescandies new pursuits over the next few weeks.”