• by Tanya Gazdik , May 28, 2024

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, 53, whose 2004 film “Super Size Me” followed him as he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days, has died from complications of cancer.

“The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, grossed over $22 million, made Mr. Spurlock a household name, earned him an Academy Award nomination for best documentary and helped spur a sweeping backlash against the fast-food industry — though only temporarily; today, McDonald’s has 42,000 locations worldwide, its stock is near an all-time high, and 36 percent of Americans eat fast food on any given day,” according to The New York Times. 

McDonald’s discontinued its “super-size” option following the film's release. 

“Though the doc is still utilized as an educational aide in some school health classes, it has also sparked debate over its accuracy in the years since, with some criticism citing Spurlock refusing to publicly share his diet log from filming,” according to Variety. “Spurlock later disclosed that he struggled with alcohol abuse — a factor that some consider would’ve been a likely influence on the doc’s conclusions regarding liver dysfunction.”

Shortly before the film came out, McDonald’s introduced its “Go Active!” menu, which included salad items.

“McDonald’s claimed these menu changes were a coincidence,” according to The Guardian. “But the director … struck a timely blow at the business when awareness about fast food’s corrosive role in public health was on the rise. … Spurlock believed his body never fully recovered – though he lost the weight thanks to a special diet concocted by his then-girlfriend, the vegan chef Alex Jamieson."

Spurlock created a 2017 sequel, “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!,” which covered the way that fast food has attempted to rebrand itself as healthier, according to the New York Post. But his career imploded after he admitted to sexual misconduct.