Mike Tyson's Super Bowl Ad Confronts Obesity, Honors Late Sister
In a dramatic black-and-white Super Bowl commercial that cut through the usual beer and soda blitz, boxing icon Mike Tyson delivered a deeply personal message about America's eating habits. The 30-second video featured the former heavyweight champion speaking candidly about his own weight struggles and the tragic loss of his sister to obesity-related complications.
"We're the Most Obese, Fudgy People"
Mike Tyson didn't mince words in his assessment of America's health crisis. "We're the most powerful country in the world, and we have the most obese, fudgy people," Tyson declared in the advertisement. The boxing legend revealed he once weighed 345 pounds after retiring from professional fighting, admitting to destructive eating habits during that period.
"I was so fat and nasty, I would eat anything. A quart of ice cream every hour," Tyson confessed. He also spoke openly about battling self-hatred during that phase of his life, describing how he had spiraled into unhealthy patterns that threatened his wellbeing.
Tragic Loss of Sister Denise
The commercial's most emotional moment came when Tyson recalled the loss of his sister, Denise. "My sister's name was Denise. She died of obesity at the age of 25. She had a heart attack," Tyson revealed in the advertisement.
Denise Tyson, who reportedly weighed between 300 and 400 pounds, was found unconscious at her home in Queens in 1990. Her untimely death profoundly shaped Tyson's views on food and health, serving as a painful reminder of the consequences of poor dietary choices.
Vegan Transformation Journey
After retirement and struggles with substance abuse, Tyson's weight reportedly ballooned by nearly 170 pounds over his fighting prime. By 2009, he was clinically obese and facing serious health challenges.
In 2010, Tyson adopted a vegan lifestyle, a decision he has credited with reversing multiple health issues. "I had high blood pressure, arthritis. I could hardly breathe," Tyson has said in past interviews. "Turning vegan helped me eliminate all those problems."
Over the next decade, he shed significant weight through dietary changes and renewed fitness efforts, transforming his health and appearance dramatically.
Federal Dietary Guidelines Overhaul
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. welcomed the advertisement's message, tying it directly to new federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans recently released by his department. The Super Bowl commercial was funded by the MAHA Center, which aligns with the "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
Kennedy recently rolled out revised federal dietary guidelines that specifically target sugar and ultraprocessed foods. The updated food pyramid places whole foods—including steak, cheese, and whole milk—near the top while strongly discouraging processed products.
Ultraprocessed foods, including certain frozen meals, packaged snacks, and sugary cereals, have been increasingly linked in scientific studies to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Kennedy has repeatedly argued that Americans have been "misled" about food choices and that tackling diet-related illness must become a national priority.
Critics Warn Against "Food Shaming"
While the message has found bipartisan support among many voters concerned about children's health, some public health experts have cautioned against the tone of the campaign.
Lindsey Smith Taillie, associate professor of nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has stated that shaming individuals over weight can be counterproductive and may worsen unhealthy behaviors. However, MAHA Center leaders defended the advertisement's confrontational approach, calling it a "dramatic wake-up call" aimed at sparking national conversation.
Between commercials for soda and fast food, Tyson's advertisement stood out as a stark warning about America's diet, ending with the blunt slogan: "Processed Food Kills" and "Eat Real Food."
