Why Pharrell Williams Got Fired from McDonald's 3 Times

Mar. 15, 2025

Pharrell in Toronto in September 2024.Photo:Tracey Biel/Variety via Getty

Tracey Biel/Variety via Getty

BeforePharrell Williamswas a Grammy-winning artist, he worked at McDonald’s.In an interview withBBC Radio 2on Tuesday, Nov. 5, the “Happy” musician, 51, opened up about his brief jaunt working in fast food.“McDonald’s was my first and only job,” he told the outlet. “I got fired three times. I was eating the chicken nuggets.”Pharrell in Washington, DC in June 2022.Paul Morigi/GettyWilliams then further elaborated on why his time at McDonald’s was so short-lived.“The first two times it was just because I was lazy,” he explained. “The third was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re just sitting there eating nuggets?'“The “Freedom” musician has since had a hugely successful music career which kicked off with his music production duoThe Neptunesalongside Chad Hugo — whom he met in seventh grade — back in 1992. Together, they produced several hits includingSnoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,”Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,“Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” andJustin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” in the 2000s.Pharrell, Hugo and drummer Shay Hale, formed the band N.E.R.D in 1999 and released their debut album,In Search Of…three years later.The “Just a Cloud Away” performer has also had success as a solo artist and through his own collaborations. “Blurred Lines,” his 2005 collaboration withRobin ThickeandT.I., and “Get Lucky,” his 2013 team-up withDaft Punk, became chart-toppers.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Pharrell in London in October 2024.Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/GettyPharrell’s song “Happy” has become one of the best-selling songs in history with more than 13.9 million copies sold.PerForbesandCNN, the single also went on to be declared the most-played song on British radio in the 2010s and even held the record for longest music video at one point, sitting at24 hours longuntilTwenty One Pilotsbroke the record in 2020 with a 177-day-long video.“When I was about 40, that’s when ‘Get Lucky,’ ‘Blurred Lines,’ ‘Happy,’ all of that was the same year,” the multihyphenate recalled of the trio of tracks inan interviewwithZane Lowe for Apple Music 1.“And these were all songs that were more commissions than they were just like, I woke up one day and decided I’m going to write about X, Y and Z.“Pharrell has also found success beyond music as a fashion designer with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream labels. In 2023, he was chosen as the men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton.

BeforePharrell Williamswas a Grammy-winning artist, he worked at McDonald’s.

In an interview withBBC Radio 2on Tuesday, Nov. 5, the “Happy” musician, 51, opened up about his brief jaunt working in fast food.

“McDonald’s was my first and only job,” he told the outlet. “I got fired three times. I was eating the chicken nuggets.”

Pharrell in Washington, DC in June 2022.Paul Morigi/Getty

Williams then further elaborated on why his time at McDonald’s was so short-lived.

“The first two times it was just because I was lazy,” he explained. “The third was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re just sitting there eating nuggets?'”

The “Freedom” musician has since had a hugely successful music career which kicked off with his music production duoThe Neptunesalongside Chad Hugo — whom he met in seventh grade — back in 1992. Together, they produced several hits includingSnoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,”Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,“Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” andJustin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” in the 2000s.

Pharrell, Hugo and drummer Shay Hale, formed the band N.E.R.D in 1999 and released their debut album,In Search Of…three years later.

The “Just a Cloud Away” performer has also had success as a solo artist and through his own collaborations. “Blurred Lines,” his 2005 collaboration withRobin ThickeandT.I., and “Get Lucky,” his 2013 team-up withDaft Punk, became chart-toppers.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Pharrell in London in October 2024.Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty

Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty

Pharrell’s song “Happy” has become one of the best-selling songs in history with more than 13.9 million copies sold.

PerForbesandCNN, the single also went on to be declared the most-played song on British radio in the 2010s and even held the record for longest music video at one point, sitting at24 hours longuntilTwenty One Pilotsbroke the record in 2020 with a 177-day-long video.

“When I was about 40, that’s when ‘Get Lucky,’ ‘Blurred Lines,’ ‘Happy,’ all of that was the same year,” the multihyphenate recalled of the trio of tracks inan interviewwithZane Lowe for Apple Music 1.“And these were all songs that were more commissions than they were just like, I woke up one day and decided I’m going to write about X, Y and Z.”

Pharrell has also found success beyond music as a fashion designer with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream labels. In 2023, he was chosen as the men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton.

source: people.com