‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Reveals He Turned Down ‘Nice Pile of Money’ for AI Ad: ‘I’m Not Down With That’

While the parody singer “felt bad” about his “last-minute” decision, he said in a new interview that he’s no fan of artificial intelligence

NEED TO KNOW

• ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic pulled out of an ad for an AI company because he’s “not a fan of AI”
• The satirist told Syracuse.com that he turned down a “nice pile of money” when he backed out of the gig
• “I can’t be the poster boy for AI,” said Yankovic

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic isn’t going to sell you on AI.

The parody king, 66, revealed in a Monday, June 29 interview with Syracuse.com that he pulled out of a commercial for an artificial intelligence company because he’s “not a fan of AI.”

Yankovic, whose first name somewhat resembles the letters “AI,” was asked about his thoughts on AI parody songs. He told the outlet he was offered the gig amid his ongoing Bigger & Weirder tour, but it just wasn’t his thing.

“I’m not going to mention any names, but they told me it was for a business. It was business software that would increase productivity,” he said. “And they offered me a nice pile of money. I said, ‘Oh well, yeah, sure, I could do that.’ And then a week before we’re supposed to shoot it, I find out, oh, this is, it’s AI. And I thought, ‘Oh no, I can’t be the poster boy for AI, forget it.'”

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As the “Eat It” singer explained, he “felt bad” about his “last-minute” decision to pull out, but it was one that aligned with his ideals. “I’m not down with that,” he said.

Elsewhere in the new interview, Yankovic broke down his pre-show ritual. The hitmaker announced his 90-day tour back in November, featuring 75 shows in 67 cities and wrapping in the fall.

“I kind of like quiet time just because I’m gonna be listening to loud music in my in-ear monitors for the next two hours,” he told Syracuse.com. “So it’s just very quiet. You know, my ritual is: I’ll take a shower, I’ll comb out my hair, I’ll shave, put on my first costume, you know, and just kind of just warm up my voice. I mean, boring stuff, you know, just trying to prepare myself for the madness that’s about to happen.”

Earlier this year, producers announced that Dare to Be Stupid: The Weird Al Musical is currently in development, featuring songs from Yankovic’s extensive catalog and an original story co-written by Yankovic, Scott Brown and Anthony King. Alex Timbers is attached to direct.

“Ever since I was a middle-aged man, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the New York theatre community,” Yankovic joked in a statement at the time. “Plus, the one thing people always say about Broadway is that it’s ‘severely lacking in Weird Al-based entertainment,’ and I think this musical should fix that problem immediately.”