Papa John Speaks On Eating "40 Pizzas In 30 Days"

"Papa" John Schnatter was ousted from the company after using racial slurs but he insists the "40 pizzas in 30 days" comment was solely about quality control.

BYAron A.
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Ousted founder of Papa John's, John Schnatter, was kicked out of the company for a leaked phone call where he's heard making racial slurs but he swore the quality of pizzas declined heavily after his departure. He said that he "had 40 pizzas in 30 days," a claim that had the Internet collectively scratching their heads. This was taken as his pizza consumption in the span of a 30-day cycle but in a recent interview with Ethan and Hila Klein, he explained it was merely for quality control.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Jason Merritt/Getty Images

"Well, I didn't say I eaten 40 pizzas in 30 days. I said I had 40 pizzas in 30 days. When I said I had a pizza, it means I'm inspecting. I’m not eating every pizza," he said before admitting that he "may be eating parts of pizzas."

Schnatter said that he does still eat pizza at a consistent rate but it's declined since his days at Papa John's. "I probably eat eight or nine slices a week. When I was at Papa John's, it was probably twelve or fifteen because we're always testing out new products." Papa John then suggested that pizza is actually nutritious which led Ethan to insist Shnatter was spewing out "pizza propaganda."

Despite being kicked out of the company, he wasn't forced to sell his stock. His current stock in the company is currently valued at over $500M.


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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.