Joel McHale Answers World’s Most Controversial Pizza Debate With Definitive Response (Exclusive)

It is a known and verifiable fact from multiple researchers and maybe even NASA that pizza is not only an out-of-this-world favorite but America’s number one comfort food. With mass admiration, it is not at all presumptuous to award the savory dish of flatbread graced with cheese and tomato sauce such a top honor. But despite the immense love comes specific contention that involves toppings — particularly the divisive debate of whether pineapple truly belongs on a pizza. While in deep conversation with actor, comedian and now certified pizza pie man Joel McHale, the foodie addresses the controversy with an answer that hopes to unify the masses.

“A lot of people treat this as some sort of — if you put pineapple on a pizza that you don’t deserve to be on this planet. My thing is if you look at pizza in Italy and the way they’re putting fried eggs on it and lamb’s brains and all sorts of crazy stuff because it’s like a blank canvas, so if you really want it on there […] knock yourself out,” McHale said in a telephone call from Atlanta on March 24 while filming The CW series, Stargirl.

While the Community actor admits he “did not settle this debate at all” for what we can only imagine are philosophical reasons for social harmony, he makes it a point to reveal he does not prefer it on his own pizza but does encourage diverse palettes within pizza culture, even if he is not entirely sure who came up with the concept of pineapple pizza. “The fact that we have Korean barbecue, hot dog trucks in Vancouver, Canada, which is one of the most popular trucks there is, it just shows you that adaptation is one of the greatest things that’s ever happened,” the Italian native said. “So I can’t recommend it [but] I say, go for it.”

McHale, who is currently partnering with Casey’s for their new, made-from-scratch, cheesy breadsticks that are cheesier than dad jokes (including his own), goes on to share his teaming up with America’s fifth-largest pizza chain and fourth-largest convenience store retailer stemmed not just from a personal love for the brand and its Midwestern roots, but because he loves pizza a lot.

“When someone says, ‘Joel, would you like to be partnered with a place that makes pizza?’ You would have to be an insane person to say no to that, or I’ve been body-swapped with somebody evil because I love pizza. Thank God for the people of Italy for inventing it and as you probably know, Casey’s has been around for a very long time,” he said, later adding how there is a personal reason he is so smitten with the brand. “My dad’s from Chicago and I have 27 first cousins, so they’re spread out all over the Midwest. Casey’s is a thing that it’s everywhere, and it’s really good and it’s made from scratch, and that does not happen all the time.”

Adding that the brand and company are also “super nice” and just “incredibly nice people,” McHale shares how the collaboration was “a no-brainer” as he “began salivating” at the offer. “I can only tell from those sorts of physical things happening that I should probably partner with them,” he joked.

With Casey’s officially launching its cheesy breadsticks with real whole milk mozzarella and dough prepared fresh in their more than 2,200 convenience stores across 16 states, the made-from-scratch menu items are offered with marinara or cheese dipping sauce and perfect for sharing or splurging with its eight-stick order. Guests can take a bite for a promotional price of $3.99 for an order of cheesy breadsticks through May 31.

“When I do stuff like this, I want to make sure the thing that I am getting behind is good,” McHale said of the Fortune 500 company, adding how fresh their ingredients are. “They make them from scratch, and I hope people know that — they make them right there, and that’s really key. And so, they’re not made in some refrigerated football-field-sized warehouse, where robots are putting them together. They’re not. I dare you to try them. I dare you.”

While McHale dares us to eat breadsticks from Casey’s, the comedian further shares how he likes to eat his slice of pizza — another contentious debate topic that has sparked disagreements among humankind for more than 1,000 years. But thankfully, PopCulture got to the bottom of it with McHale, our generation’s living legend, influencer and again, certified pizza pie man. “Depends,” the self-proclaimed cheesy dad-of-two said when revealing whether he eats his pizza from the tip or crust first. “I mean, it’s usually the tip, but I do fold it if it’s a huge piece. And if it’s a deep-dish style, sometimes I’m going to need a fork and knife because that thing is huge and very heavy. But never from the back. I rarely start from the back.”

For more on Casey’s and their cheesy breadsticks offer, head to their official website. To read more about Joel McHale and all your favorite stars, keep it locked to PopCulture.com for the latest in entertainment news.