Fired Papa John's founder blames the 'elite left' for supposed deteriorating quality of company's pizzas: report

On Wednesday, The Daily Beast reported that disgraced former Papa John's CEO John Schnatter has been engaged in a bizarre stunt for the last 18 months, eating 800 pizzas from his former company to prove that his ouster was a nefarious plot by the "elite progressive left."

"According to a profile by Bloomberg, he embarked on the carb-filled quest in an attempt to prove that the quality of Papa John's pizzas has deteriorated since he was ousted from the company in 2018," reported Corbin Bolies. "Schnatter told Bloomberg that he blamed his downfall on, among other things, the 'progressive elite left.' He said he was determined to reemerge, trying to tell the story of how he built his company and how, to him, the story 'totally debunks the left's ideology.'"

Schnatter, an outspoken conservative, resigned as CEO in 2017 after controversy over his remarks attacking NFL leadership for tolerating the national anthem protests. He retained the role of chairman of the board, but was pushed out in 2018 for allegedly using the N-word in a company phone conference. He was separately accused of sexual misconduct.

According to the report, Papa John's remains unmoved by their founder's stunt.

"A Papa John's spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company was doing perfectly well thanks to its partnership with NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and its new stuffed crust pizza," said the report. "'We are proud of the company we have become and the diverse, inclusive, and innovative culture we are creating,' they said."