Paul Finebaum works drive-thru for Zaxby’s commercial as he mulls Senate run in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Still under contract with ESPN and with a potential run for Alabama’s seat in the U.S. Senate still up in the air, sportscaster Paul Finebaum seems to have picked up another gig that some may not have seen.

On Friday, the longtime host of “The Paul Finebaum Radio Network” appeared in an online commercial for Zaxby’s, a restaurant chain that specializes in chicken and french fries. The restaurant started in Athens, Georgia and is a staple of Southern fast food. In Alabama alone, there are over 93 Zaxby’s locations across the state.

“You’re on with Paul Finebaum… at Zaxby’s,” Finebaum says in the video on Zaxby’s Instagram page, wearing a headset and company hat, working the drive-thru shift.

The ad takes the form of Finebaum taking an order the same way he takes a call on the radio show he has hosted since 1988.

“Hi, could I do the lemon pepper wings?” the customer asks through the intercom.

“That’s a smart play right there,” Finebaum responds. “High football IQ.”

Finebaum has remained a popular, yet contrarian, figure in sports media, in both Alabama and across the Southeast, for decades, but he has gained new attention in recent weeks after he discussed how he was seriously considering running for Alabama’s seat in the U.S. Senate once Tommy Tuberville leaves office to run for governor.

“One or two people in Washington had reached out to me about whether I would be interested in politics, something I never thought about before,” Finebaum told Outkick’s Clay Travis. Finebaum said. “I gave some thought to it as the [after Charlie Kirk’s murder] weekend unfolded and got a little bit more interested.” 

Finebaum said he still has time to make a decision before the qualifying deadline on Jan. 23. He recently re-signed with ESPN, his professional home since 2013.

Regardless of what he decides, the broadcaster seems to have a spot waiting for him at Zaxby’s.

“You are now one of our elite employees,” the restaurant posted, a nod to a viral TikTok meme.