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Papa John's Ex-CEO Says He Ate More Than 40 Pizzas in 30 Days and That 'The Day of Reckoning Will Come' Papa John's founder and former CEO John Schnatter slammed the pizza chain he founded in an interview with local news.

By Kate Taylor

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

WDRB News

Papa John's former CEO slammed the pizza chain he founded in an interview with local news.

"I've had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days," John Schnatter told WDRB News in an interview this week. "And it's not the same pizza. It's not the same product. It just doesn't tastes as good."

Schnatter resigned as Papa John's chairman in 2018, after admitting to using the n-word during a company conference call earlier that year. The Papa John's founder stepped down as CEO in December 2017, following backlash for his criticism of players kneeling during the NFL national anthem to protest against police brutality.

In the WDRB News interview, Schnatter said his ousting was a "farce." He slammed Papa John's new leadership, including Steve Ritchie, who replaced him as CEO, and Papa John's board members Olivia Kirtley and Mark Shapiro. Schnatter said that Kirtley and Shapiro "should be in jail."

"They stole the company, and now they've destroyed the company," Schnatter said.

Related: How Shaq Is Bringing Fun Back to Papa John's

Schnatter told WDRB News that he believes the truth about his termination has yet to emerge.

"The day of reckoning will come," Schnatter said.

Papa John's did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

The interview went viral after writer Timothy Burke tweeted a clip in which Schnatter's voice appears to be slowed down from WDRB's original interview.

"papa john has f---ing HAD IT," tweeted Chrissy Teigen.

Kate Taylor

Staff Writer. Covers franchise-related trends and topics.

Kate Taylor is a staff writer covering franchises for Entrepreneur.com. Related areas of interest include chain restaurants, franchisee profiles and food trends. Get in touch with tips and feedback via email at ktaylor@entrepreneur.com or on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

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