Pharrell Got Fired From McDonald's Three Times. Then He Wrote Their Jingle.

Before Pharrell Williams was a Grammy-winning producer, a fashion mogul, and one of the most recognizable musicians on Earth, he was a teenager with a fast food problem.

Three Strikes at the Golden Arches

Pharrell worked at three different McDonald's locations — and got fired from every single one. His reason, as he told Sean Evans on Hot Ones in 2024: "I was eating the chicken nuggets."

"I was a terrible employee," he admitted with a grin. The golden arches clearly weren't his calling. At least not behind the counter.

The Billion-Dollar Callback

In 2003, McDonald's was looking for a new global advertising campaign. They turned to The Neptunes — the production duo of Pharrell and Chad Hugo — to create a jingle. Pharrell delivered five notes that would become the most recognizable sound in fast food: "Ba da ba ba ba — I'm Lovin' It."

Justin Timberlake recorded the original vocal version. The campaign launched globally in September 2003 and has been running ever since — making it the longest-running McDonald's campaign in history.

The Full Circle

When asked about the irony of being fired from McDonald's and then writing their anthem, Pharrell said simply: "I thought it was very funny."

He reportedly earned around $6 million for the jingle. Not bad for a guy who couldn't stop eating the nuggets.