Megan Thee Stallion Gets Her Own 'Hottie Sauce' at Popeyes

As the world's largest fast food chain, McDonald's may not be as agile as some of its competitors — but when the burger behemoth does succeed, the whole industry listens. Case in point, after MickeyD's launched its first celebrity-branded meal in nearly three decades last September — the Travis Scott combo — the promotion's success was as newsworthy as its announcement, and suddenly many of the biggest names in the world — J Balvin, BTS, and Saweetie — were lining up to take part.

After the unprecedented success of their chicken sandwich in 2019, Popeyes certainly knows how willing other chains are to borrow a good idea — and so now, Popeyes appears to be taking a page out of McDonald's playbook. The chicken specialist has teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion for a new hot sauce and co-branded merch. And the hip-hop star will even open her own Popeyes franchise.

Launching on October 19 both nationwide in the U.S. and in 14 countries around the globe, Megan Tee Stallion Hottie Sauce is billed as a chance to spice up Popeye's still-popular chicken sandwich as well as their new chicken nuggets launched over the summer. "This marks the first time Popeyes will release a new variation of its iconic Popeyes Chicken Sandwich," the chain boasts, further tying the collab to the sandwich that reinvigorated the chain's fortunes.

As for the sauce itself, it's made with honey, cider vinegar, and Aleppo pepper for a "sweet, yet bold flavor with a hint of spice." Popeyes says that Megan "worked closely with the Popeyes culinary team" to create this sauce "inspired by Megan's sassy personality."

Additionally, at noon ET on launch day, limited-edition Popeyes x Megan Thee Stallion merch will be released on TheeHottieSauce.com. Popeyes says the partnership will include three exclusive drops, and this first collection — known as Thee Heat — will include "bikinis, long sleeve shirts, hats, tumblers, and Popeyes chicken tenders plush dog toys." The next two merch releases are slated to happen in November. The chain says, one, make sure you're enrolled in the Popeyes Rewards program to get early access to these items, and two, sign up for updates at TheeHottieSauce.com to know when the next drops will take place.

Finally, Popeyes says that Megan has been "approved" as a Popeyes' franchise owner, and part of that new partnership will include "making a six-figure donation to Houston Random Acts of Kindness."

"I'm appreciative of Popeyes commitment to empowering Black women and look forward to opening Popeyes Restaurants," Megan Thee Stallion stated in the announcement. "Teaming up with Popeyes is such a milestone in my journey and evolution as an entrepreneur. I've always been a fan of the Popeyes brand and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to join the brand and help create the new Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce for their line-up."

Meanwhile, Popeyes Americas president Sami Siddiqui spoke about the hopefully long-term impacts of this deal. "Popeyes one-of-a-kind partnership with Megan Thee Stallion goes well beyond the average marketing collaboration. We are unifying two pop culture icons, and Megan's innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial vision is at the core of everything we're doing," he added. "We are thrilled to welcome Megan to the Popeyes franchisee family and look forward to working closely with her over many years as she begins her journey as a restaurateur."