Lost Racist "You Better Don't" McDonalds Ad

Unfortunately, I hate to disappoint, but after going through a bunch of old VHS tapes from around the timeframe mentioned, I did not find this advert. I do not have it. I do feel like if the search effort is expanded, it probably could be found. I think a good YouTube video about the topic could help.

Dang! And you're right about the video part. I think LSSQ might have mentioned it in one of his most recent vids, but I'm not sure. If he didn't then maybe he can make a whole video on it *wink wink*

I don’t think so

Me too. The thing that gets me so much with this one is that for me personally, 2004 wasn't that long ago, even though it was 20 years ago now. I vividly remember seeing this air, and I remember the backlash it got as well. This isn't like a Mandela effect or anything; there's proof of it actually existing, but not even a single frame or screenshot or anything of it has surfaced, and that is weird. Also, the photo-sharing site theory is true; a lot of stuff gets lost on those; they don't last that long. As for the conspiracy, I don't believe that. I just believe it was aired and quickly pulled, and maybe they tried to take it down for a couple of years after that, and that was it. I doubt McDonald's is actually scrubbing this 20-year-old advert; even their more recent controversial ads can still be easily found. I remember when they got some backlash for a filet o fish advert recently.

Maybe the add was recorded on a VHS tape that someone has somewhere or maybe it's on a YouTube compilation of old commercials from the 2000's and it already is online and someone just needs to find the right compilation that has said add on it. Plenty of other media that was considered lost was found this way.

I think the YouTube route has already been attempted, even by me. I did look at a lot of YouTube 2000s advert compilations, even ones labeled as funny or racist or just ads from the 2004 timeframe, and I found some of the ads for Chicken Selects, but not this one at all. I think the VHS route is far more likely. In fact, I have a lot of VHS tapes from around 2004 because it was an election year, but I still can't find this advert myself. I do hope it comes up soon.

Honestly, I think it's quite likely a lot of those recollections are from people who saw the commercial on TV one, maybe two times total.