Papa John’s new ads: John’s out, diverse franchisees are in

NEW YORK – Papa John’s, which wants to distance itself from famous founder John Schnatter, is releasing new ads Tuesday that replaces him with a diverse group of franchisees.

The commercials show several franchisees looking into the camera and introducing themselves to viewers.

“You’ve heard one voice of Papa John’s for a long time,” one of them says, followed by another who says, “It’s time you heard from all of us.”

The pizza chain started to remove Schnatter from its logos, pizza boxes and restaurants this summer after a report said he used a racial slur during a media training session. Schnatter, who has apologized for the slur, says it was taken out of context. He remains the Louisville, Kentucky-based company’s biggest shareholder.

The new ads begin airing this week.