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Jason Sudeikis, who grew up in Overland Park, is one of Kansas’ biggest basketball fans, even though he joked he was “not good enough” to play there.

So it was only fitting that his new ad campaign for Taco Bell premiered Thursday, with a commercial airing during KU’s first March Madness game against Samford University. KU won (barely).

The campaign introduces Taco Bell’s new Cantina Chicken menu and encourages people to enjoy Taco Bell any time of the day, not just on a midnight stroll.

In a 30-second spot, Sudeikis confronts an X user who tweeted, “Taco Bell doesn’t really hit until after midnight.”

The man’s name is Howie and, surprisingly, he’s not an actor. According to trade magazine Adweek, he’s a real Taco Bell customer.

Sudeikis catches Howie eating at Taco Bell in the middle of the afternoon, and the “Ted Lasso” star gets him to admit that, contrary to his tweet, the cravings don’t only happen after midnight.

Howie enjoys a new crispy chicken taco from Cantina, seasoned with the new green avocado salsa.

The campaign slogan: “Not just late at night.”

Elsewhere, Sudeikis reads more tweets.

“Going to Taco Bell during the day feels unethical.”

“Eating at Taco Bell while the sun is shining is a cry for help.”

“Want to know my ultimate daytime Taco Bell hack? Go to any Taco Bell at 2 p.m. and order anything from the cantina chicken menu,” he says in the commercial.

“When did Jason Sudeikis Become a Promoter at Taco Bell?” tweeted X-user @krisellevllamas on Thursday. “He should be locked in Hannah Waddingham’s basement and write the fourth season of Ted Lasso.” (Waddingham starred with Sudeikis in the show’s three seasons. (Who knows if there will ever be a fourth or even a spinoff?)

Sudeikis’ favorite Taco Bell is in Johnson County

Who still believes Sudeikis asked for free tacos or burritos as part of his salary? His love for Taco Bell – and a Johnson County location in particular – is as well known as his loyalty to KU. He has spoken about it in many interviews.

“I really love Taco Bell,” he said in a TikTok last summer promoting an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.

He advertised a specific Taco Bell in Overland Park without identifying it.

“I think there are different categories of Taco Bell,” he told the magazine. “There’s a fantastic Taco Bell in the Suburban Taco Bell, in my hometown of Overland Park, Kansas. I don’t know why, how they do it differently. The soft shells are always soft.”

When Harper’s Bazaar published the interview and a video last March, Taco Bell returned the affection, tweeting to Sudeikis: “We truly love you too.”

Ohhhhh.

Sudeikis has told The Star in previous interviews that when he attended Fort Scott Community College, he would drive 30 minutes just to get a chalupa at Taco Bell.

In 2014, he told David Letterman in a “Late Show” interview that he went to Taco Bell after his then-fiancée Olivia Wilde’s water broke and she told him he had time to “get something to eat” before their first child was born.

On the night of their son Otis’ birth, he ate two chicken soft tacos and drank a Pepsi.

Taco Bell’s new chicken menu

Cantina Chicken’s new menu items include Soft Taco, Crispy Taco, Burrito, Quesadilla and Bowl.

At Taco Bell, chicken is the focus this year.

In a press release, Liz Matthews, Global Chief Food Innovation Officer, called the new menu a “labor of love” that included developing a new slow-roasted chicken recipe with “supporting ingredients to maximize appetite.”

“We knew our fans wanted more chicken, and we also knew we could elevate chicken with unexpected ingredients like red cabbage and green avocado salsa.”

Taco Bell Rewards members receive a free taco through the app through April 4.

Score.