Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy sidesteps questions on LGBTQ+ rights in NBC interview

Chick-fil-A is one of the most popular fast food chains in America. It’s also one of the most divisive. And a new interview with the company’s leader is reigniting the long-running controversy.Andrew Cathy, CEO of the chain, recently sat down with the Today show’s Craig Melvin for his first-ever broadcast interview. But when Melvin asked the CEO pointed questions about the company’s stance on LBGTQ+ rights, he repeatedly evaded them.  When Melvin asked how Cathy feels about those who have boycotted the restaurant, Cathy responded: “Well, for anybody that hadn’t tried us, we’d love for you to come try and have our great-tasting food and the hospitality that we’re known for.” Melvin then continued to press the CEO on the issue.  “You don’t want to talk about that chapter in Chick-fil-A’s history?”  But instead of giving a more clear response addressing the controversy, Cathy repeated his previous sentiment: “We’re focused on serving everybody that’s coming and eating with us.” Melvin asked, “The company’s official position on equal rights is?” Cathy simply said that the brand is “focused on hospitality” and “serving great-tasting food and great service.” The interview comes after years of controversy over the CEO’s alleged anti-LGBTQ+ stance.  In 2012, it was reported that Cathy’s father, Dan Cathy, who previously ran the company, had publicly stated that Chick-fil-A opposed gay marriage. Likewise, public documents showed the company had donated millions to organizations that stood against LGBTQ+ rights.After the interview aired on Wednesday, the reaction was swift. A number of celebrities took to social media to air their frustrations over how Cathy seemed to bat away each question without giving a clear answer.Actress Valerie Bertinelli commented on Today’s post about the interview, writing that she has “never tried” the company’s food and has “no plans to change that” after watching what the CEO had to say. Chelsea Handler weighed in, too, simply writing, “No thank you,” under the clip of the interview.Katie Couric took the debate one step further, offering a suggestion for how Melvin could’ve been even more assertive with his line of questioning, pointing to Cathy’s father’s exact quote from 2012. “This is what his father Dan Cathy said in 2012. ‘We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition,’” Couric continued. “A good follow up would have been: ‘Do you agree with [your] father?’”Fast Company reached out to Chick-fil-A about the recent interview but did not immediately hear back. Given calls for boycotting the brand have emerged a number of times since 2012, it’s hard to imagine that the new interview, which is already ruffling feathers, won’t lend itself to yet more scrutiny.

Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy repeatedly declined to say where the company stands on LGBTQ rights during a Wednesday interview on NBC's "Today," drawing criticism from celebrities including Katie Couric and Valerie Bertinelli.

CEO Andrew Cathy said that everyone was welcome at Chick-fil-A, but refused to talk about LGBTQ+ issues that got the former restaurant leader into trouble years ago