# KFC rotating Colonels

> Darrell Hammond's Colonel launch film reached 2.5 million YouTube views.

- Owner: KFC US (Yum! Brands)
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Food & beverage
- Seed date: 2015-05-19
- Milestone date: 2017-02-05
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 39 (Niche, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Mascot persona, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy, Pairing

## Summary

KFC revived Colonel Sanders with Darrell Hammond, then rotated celebrities in the role. Casting changes drew jokes, complaints and repeat coverage. By late 2017, KFC reported 11 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth.

## Timeline

- 2015-05-19 — KFC US / Darrell Hammond (YouTube) — KFC released Hammond's State of Kentucky Fried Chicken Address online.
- 2015-05-19 — Associated Press (Press) — AP covered the Colonel's return after about two decades away from KFC television ads.
- 2015-05-20 — Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco (Facebook) — Conan's Facebook page joked about the timing of Colonel Sanders' comeback.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/kfc-rotating-colonels

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “KFC rotating Colonels.” Case HIS-01671. Spread Score v1.3: 39/100. Updated 2026-10-24. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01671