The Bizarre '90s Ringo Starr Pizza Hut Commercial That Feels Like A Fever Dream

Former Beatle Ringo Starr may be a fabulously wealthy member of the most iconic band in rock history, but he's also rather easy to make fun of. Although he was a deceptively brilliant drummer and a better songwriter than he's often given credit for (have you written a song as good as "Octopus's Garden"?), he's usually compared unfavorably to the other three Beatles. And then there's the broad Scouse accent, the fact that "Ringo Starr" sounds like something a five-year-old would call their imaginary friend, and — oh yeah — that one really weird Pizza Hut commercial he did back in 1995.

It is, admittedly, a very funny idea for a commercial. It first appears to be building up to Ringo assembling a Beatles reunion (sans John Lennon, who was tragically killed in 1980). "I'd do it in a second," says Ringo. "The fans will dig it. They've waited long enough. I've just got to get the other lads to agree!" Then it reveals that not only is he talking about eating the then-new Stuffed Crust Pizza (crust first, of course), but that the "lads" in question are the members of the American band (and unfairly labeled Fab Four carbon) the Monkees. That's a great bit!

But the devil is in the details. The fact that it starts with Ringo standing in a field next to a cow for no apparent reason? The sudden cuts from Ringo in a field to Ringo rowing a boat to Ringo in a movie theater? The hilariously cheap echo effect added to Ringo shouting, "Lads, the time has come!" from the rooftop? Ahh, the '90s were a fun time, weren't they?

There's one other strange bit of trivia about Ringo Starr's Pizza Hut commercial, which is that Ringo Starr has never eaten pizza. You'll notice that we didn't say he's never eaten Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizza (which wasn't actually invented by Pizza Hut), or Pizza Hut in general. We're saying he has never eaten pizza, period. He confessed as much when appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2025, attributing his abstinence to a litany of food allergies. (He also said he has never eaten curry; although he didn't specify whether he was referring to Thai or Indian curries, we can assume he meant both.)

So what does he eat? Well, like his fellow Beatle Paul McCartney (who included a lentil recipe when he appeared on "The Simpsons"), Starr is a vegetarian. His favorite sandwich is a two-ingredient goat cheese sandwich, and he claims to eat broccoli with every meal. Even considering his vegetarianism, though, his diet is pretty restricted: During the Beatles' famous trip to India in 1968, he took an entire suitcase filled with cans of baked beans so that his stomach wouldn't be upset by the Indian cuisine. We would have to imagine a suitcase of baked beans wouldn't be easy on the stomach either, but we also didn't lay down that sick drum loop on "Tomorrow Never Knows", so we have no leg to stand on here.