Let’s dive into John Schnatter’s infamous late-2019 interview with WDRB News, a Louisville, Kentucky-based station, which aired on November 25, 2019. This bizarre moment in pop culture history—right before the COVID-19 pandemic flipped the world upside down—became a viral sensation for Schnatter’s cryptic “day of reckoning” tease and his wild claim about consuming over 40 Papa John’s pizzas in 30 days. Fans and detractors alike latched onto it, spawning memes and speculation, especially when COVID hit months later. So, did that “day of reckoning” ever arrive, and was he exaggerating about those pizzas? Let’s unpack it.
The Interview: Context and Viral Moments
John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s, had been ousted from the company he built by 2018 after a series of controversies—first blaming NFL player protests for declining sales in 2017 (prompting neo-Nazi endorsements he didn’t ask for), then using a racial slur during a 2018 diversity training call, which leaked to Forbes and forced his resignation as chairman. By late 2019, he was in exile, no longer the face of Papa John’s but still a major shareholder, bitter about his exit.
In the WDRB interview, Schnatter came out swinging:
- “Day of Reckoning”: He accused the company’s leadership—naming ex-CEO Steve Ritchie, board chair Olivia Kirtley, and others—of conspiring to “steal” Papa John’s from him, using the racial slur scandal as a pretext. “Stay tuned. The day of reckoning will come. The record will be straight,” he said, hinting at some explosive revelation or comeback. His sweaty, intense delivery—looking like he’d just run a marathon—added a manic edge that screamed meme fodder.
- 40 Pizzas in 30 Days: He claimed, “I’ve had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days, and it’s not the same pizza. It’s not the same product. It just doesn’t taste as good.” This line—delivered deadpan—sparked disbelief and hilarity. Over 1.3 pizzas a day? People pictured him hunched over stacks of boxes, taste-testing like a mad scientist.
The internet erupted. Clips posted by bubbaprog on X racked up millions of views; Chrissy Teigen tweeted, “Papa John has fucking HAD IT,” and _buhhh likened him to a zombie movie character hiding a bite. The “40 pizzas” quote got remixed—think 8-bit Garfields and slowed-down voice edits—while “day of reckoning” became a mock-prophetic catchphrase.
Did the “Day of Reckoning” Happen?
Schnatter’s tease implied a dramatic reversal—maybe a legal win, a corporate coup, or a bombshell exposing his ousters. Then, COVID-19 hit in March 2020, and the timing was too perfect. X posts like ManicCannibal’s (February 2021) joked, “Papa John ate 50 pizzas, promised a reckoning, and then COVID happened—coincidence?” Memes cast him as a pizza-fueled Nostradamus, with the pandemic as his reckoning.
But in reality? No clear “day” materialized:
- Legal Battles: Schnatter had sued Papa John’s in 2018 to access records from his ouster, alleging a setup. By 2019, he settled some claims, but no earth-shattering truth emerged. The “record” wasn’t “set straight” in any public, reckoning-worthy way—court docs stayed mundane, not explosive.
- Company Trajectory: Papa John’s didn’t collapse as he’d predicted. Under new CEO Rob Lynch (whom Schnatter bashed as a pizza novice), the chain rebounded—stock rose 54% in 2019 (MarketWatch), and by 2025, it’s stable, not “destroyed.” No reckoning there.
- Schnatter’s Fade: He sold off much of his stock—1.9 million shares in November 2019 alone for $107.5 million—distancing himself from the “car crash” he foresaw. He’s since stayed low-key, dabbling in philanthropy and real estate, not staging a triumphant return.
COVID’s chaos gave the meme legs, but it wasn’t Schnatter’s reckoning—it was global, not personal. If he meant a specific event, it’s been a dud—five years on, no bombshell has dropped. The “day” seems more like a scorned founder’s bluster than a prophecy fulfilled.
The 40 Pizzas: Exaggeration or Misunderstanding?
That “40 pizzas in 30 days” line—1.33 pizzas daily—sounded insane, even for a pizza mogul. Was he exaggerating? He later clarified it, and you’re right, he admitted it wasn’t quite what it seemed:
- The Walk-Back: In a February 12, 2020, New York Post piece, Schnatter said, “I didn’t say I had 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. I may be eating parts of pizzas.” He framed it as quality control, not a gorging spree—sampling slices, not scarfing whole pies.
- Plausibility Check: Even “inspecting” 40 pizzas in 30 days is a stretch—over one a day, every day, post-ouster, when he had no official role? He’d sold millions in stock by November 2019, so he wasn’t exactly on the payroll taste-testing. It’s believable he tried some pizzas to fuel his narrative—maybe 10 or 15—but 40 feels like hyperbole to hammer his “it’s not the same” point. No receipts or pizza boxes ever surfaced to back it up.
- Public Reaction: The clarification didn’t kill the meme. X users like Q_Review (February 13, 2020) quipped, “Imagine a man so filled with spite he orders 2 pizzas every three days to pick apart with his fingers and ‘inspect’—that’s worse!” The damage was done—40 pizzas stuck as a symbol of his unhinged vibe.
So, yes, he exaggerated—or at least overstated—the scope. “Inspecting” parts of 40 pizzas is less absurd than eating them whole, but it’s still a wild flex, likely inflated for effect. He admitted the miscommunication, but the original claim’s absurdity is what cemented it in lore.
Why It Endures
The interview hit in late 2019, pre-COVID, when the world could still laugh at a sweaty pizza guy ranting about betrayal and crust quality. Then the pandemic gave it a dark twist—memes tied his “reckoning” to global upheaval, a cosmic punchline. By March 8, 2025, it’s a time capsule: Schnatter’s reckoning never came, his pizza tally was half-baked, but the internet immortalized both. No legal win, no Papa John’s downfall—just a viral echo of a man scorned, and a lot of imagined pepperoni.
