Comedian and media mogul Byron Allen has sued McDonald’s for $10 billion in damages citing racial discrimination that is tied to the company’s advertising practices.
The New York Post details racial stereotyping that occurred in McDonald’s refusal to contract with the Allen Media Group Entertainment Studios and Weather Group. The accusations are a violation of state and federal laws.
Entertainment Studios owns 12 tv networks, while Weather Group is the owner of The Weather Channel. Allen states none of the networks have been contracted for advertising by the fast-food giant. The Weather Channel stopped receiving advertising once he acquired the network in 2018.
The lawsuit reveals McDonald’s only spends $5 million of it’s $1.6 billion annual advertising budget with Black-owned media, despite Black people representing 40 percent of their sales.
“Once we receive the complaint, we will review and respond accordingly,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “Together with our franchisees, we have doubled down on our relationships with diverse-owned partners. This includes increasing our spend with diverse-owned media from 4 percent to 10 percent and with Black-owned media from 2 percent to 5 percent of total national advertising over the next four years.”
