Taco Bell fans declare 'Christmas miracle' as beloved menu item returns nationwide

Taco Bell fans are calling it "a Christmas miracle" — but not everyone is feeling the holiday cheer.

The fast-food giant announced that its cult-favorite Quesarito returned to menus nationwide Dec. 18, and the internet erupted with dramatic declarations that the holidays have truly arrived.

The indulgent mashup — a whole burrito packed with beef, rice, chipotle sauce and sour cream, wrapped inside a cheesy grilled quesadilla — will return for a limited time following popular demand. 

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Availability may vary by location and be limited to while supplies last, and the recipe features the classic version of the item, prepared the way fans remember it from its original run, Taco Bell told Fox News Digital.

"We heard our fans loud and clear," Taco Bell's chief marketing officer, Luis Restrepo, said in a statement. 

"Their passion turned the Quesarito into a Taco Bell legend and bringing it back for the holidays felt like the perfect way to celebrate that energy."

The item is priced at $4.99, though prices may vary by location. Taco Bell is offering the first 30,000 rewards members a $1 Quesarito during an app-exclusive drop on Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. Pacific time.

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While some fans are rejoicing that their calls have been answered, the Mexican-inspired chain has just one wish this holiday season: that Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić finally try Taco Bell and its Quesarito for the very first time.

Helping to beef up the lore around the Quesarito, Restrepo said, was the viral 2014 moment when Jokić's NBA draft pick slipped by almost unnoticed as it was eclipsed by a Quesarito launch ad airing at the same time. 

His selection appeared only on the ticker while the broadcast cut to a full Taco Bell commercial, leaving the Quesarito — not the future MVP — filling the screen.

Jokić, whose nickname is "The Joker," has since admitted, "I think I've never had the Taco Bell just because of that," according to reports. 

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He recently responded to Taco Bell's renewed invitation this way: "No. It's nice they're finally apologizing. But no."

In a recent Instagram Reel announcing the Quesarito's return, Taco Bell jokingly said, "This video is for Nikola Jokić … We're sorry the Quesarito hijacked [your] big moment in 2014. It's coming back soon. Please give it a chance."

"Jokić, we hope there are no hard feelings," Restrepo added in his statement.

Online, fans ate up the announcement.

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"It's a Christmas miracle!" one person commented on Taco Bell's Instagram post announcing the Quesarito's return.

"Do you even know how long I've been waiting for this?" exclaimed another.

But not everyone was celebrating.

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Many people used the announcement to renew calls for other retired menu staples, including the Volcano Menu, the Beefy Fritos Burrito and the Grilled Stuft Nacho.

Some fans complained that the Quesarito was closer to $6 at their local restaurants, while others knocked the chain for removing it in the first place. 

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The Quesarito was taken off the menu in April 2023 after several years as an app-exclusive item, according to reports and fan blogs.

"Should've never taken it off to begin with," one person said. 

"Took ya long enough," added another.

Others begged it to remain permanent this time.

In response to one of those comments, Taco Bell simply replied, "We'll see."

Comedian Jeff Dye on leaving Los Angeles and the politics driving comedy’s new divide

After announcing his plans to leave California for Texas last month, comedian Jeff Dye made it clear that this was not a decision he came to overnight. For years, he clung to the belief that the state he loved could still be saved, but eventually that hope ran out.

Dye sat down with Fox News Digital, where he offered insight into his decision to leave Los Angeles for Austin and how politics have carved a growing divide within the stand-up comedy community.

A fixture of the stand-up scene since 2005, Dye is preparing to join the wave of entertainers and everyday Americans who have fled the Golden State in recent years. While he agreed that "there's nothing heroic about leaving" California, the comedian expressed a sense of hopelessness about the state's future under Gov. Gavin Newsom's leadership — especially given his handling of the wildfires that tore through the Palisades earlier this year.

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"I don't think it's good to leave California because you're upset with the way it's run. We should stay and fight for it," he asserted. "But at a certain point, you just get a little defeated in like, I don't know how to fight for it anymore. I don't know what to do."

On the issues of homelessness and transportation, Dye questioned where taxpayer funds allocated to tackle these problems have gone, aiming his questions at Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Newsom's office had a dismissive reply when reached for comment by Fox News Digital, saying of Dye, "Who is that?" Fox News Digital also reached out to the office of Mayor Bass for comment. 

In April of last year, a state audit found California had spent $24 billion on tackling homelessness over five years without consistently tracking how the funds actually aided in the homeless crisis.

"How many things does Mayor Bass and Gavin Newsom, you know, how many things can they just lie to our face or ignore or not do before you go, I'm out of here?" he asked. 

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With politics creeping its way into seemingly every facet of life, the stand-up comedy scene has been no exception.

Fox News Digital asked Dye whether he felt that the growing influence of politics in stand-up comedy has had a negative impact on the industry.

"The biggest thing I've noticed in stand-up comedy — and people will accuse me of being a drama queen or being a punk for even saying this — but the biggest thing I've noticed is that the politics is interfering with the comedy," he said.

"It used to be my heroes, at least, were like, 'Dude, don't be politically correct and say what you think and don't be afraid to break any faux pas.' Where it's now, even the most successful comedians are being like, 'Hey, you can't joke about that,' or, 'You can't say that,' which breaks my brain."

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According to Dye, today's stand-up stars tend to follow an unspoken rule: "Say whatever you want, but you better be liberal."

One comedy legend whose words have stayed with Dye over the years is George Carlin, whose anti-establishment, provocative style helped define conscious comedy.

"George Carlin once said our job as comedians is to find that line and then deliberately cross it… I'm not running for office. I'm not doing TED talks. I'm not lecturing people on ethics and morals. I'm just supposed to be funny and point out things in society," he explained.

Dye contended that a few "brave comics" have shifted the Overton Window in regard to what is or isn't acceptable to speak about as a stand-up.

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He credited comedians/hosts like Joe Rogan, Theo Von and Shane Gillis for this shift, praising their willingness to speak their minds with little regard for what others may think.

"Now you see a lot of comics coming along going, 'Oh, it's a little safer now, because these big comics have said a thing.' I was on the front lines of that in a way," he said. "I've always been more conservative than my comedic counterparts. I've always been way more religious as far as like, I'm a Christian, so that's not a huge, popular thing in stand-up comedy. I was on the front lines in that way."

Explaining his gradual shift in political ideology, Dye told Fox News Digital, "I was late to the Trump party. I was late to a lot of those things. I thought, because I had gay friends, that I must be liberal, and then becoming liberal became crazier and crazier and more Antifa-ish, and I was like, 'I'm out.'"

Dye acknowledged that some may scoff at the idea of comedians being brave for expressing their views, but he pushed back on that perspective — noting the risks that come with challenging the dominant political consensus.

"It is brave to say something that everyone else isn't saying. There is some bravery in that. To say a thing that your peers and the people you work with are going to hate. And if you don't think that's brave, look at what happened to Charlie Kirk," he argued. "It is brave because there are risks when you say things that people don't like."

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