A Super Bowl public service announcement featuring former boxer Mike Tyson has sparked controversy over its messaging on obesity and health. The 2026 ad, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Make American Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, opens with Tyson stating his sister died of obesity-related heart disease at 25. He then shares his own past struggles with weight, saying he once weighed 345 pounds and experienced suicidal ideation, before biting into a carrot and apple. The stark black-and-white PSA concludes with the text “Processed food kills.”
The ad was created by filmmaker Brett Ratner and promoted by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It aligns with the MAHA initiative’s focus on reducing processed food consumption and tackling chronic disease. However, health professionals and advocacy groups have criticized the ad’s approach. Dr. Zachary Rubin, an allergist and medical myth debunker, stated the ad used “suicide ideation, weight-shaming language, and moralized food rhetoric,” calling it a failure of public-health ethics.
Tigress Osborn of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) argued the ad promotes conformity to a specific body type and represents governmental “attack” on fat people. Clinical dietician Jessica Wilson noted the inconsistency of using Tyson—a convicted abuser—as the campaign’s face, citing trauma’s impact on health. Critics also highlight the ad’s lack of concrete solutions, such as addressing food accessibility or systemic health disparities.
The MAHA initiative, launched under Kennedy, has faced scrutiny for promoting views that diverge from established medical consensus, including skepticism of vaccines and proposed changes to dietary guidelines. The campaign’s website, RealFood.gov, features an AI chatbot and imagery from the PSA. The ad’s supporters online framed it as a “war on obesity,” while detractors see it as stigmatizing and ineffective public health messaging.
The PSA Airs during a broadcast saturated with advertisements for processed foods, weight-loss drugs, and alcohol, drawing further criticism for its selective focus. Experts emphasize that health cannot be determined by weight alone and that trauma-informed, equitable approaches are necessary for meaningful public health improvement. The controversy underscores ongoing debates about the role of government in health messaging and the ethical boundaries of anti-obesity campaigns.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder or suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Eating Disorder Association at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or call/text the Crisis Text Line by texting “NEDA” to 741-741. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available at 988.
