Ever wondered what celebrities are up to when they're not on the red carpet? Well, some of them are busy endorsing some of the most random products you'll ever see, and these are the funniest of them all.
Zendaya: Squarespace
Hollywood’s newest ‘It Girl’ and star of some of the biggest movies and TV series ever, surprised people when she collaborated with website builder Squarespace - but fans were pleasantly surprised.
With a 30-second ad costing an estimated $6.3 million to air at the Super Bowl, Squarespace went all out. In an advertisement about building a website for a fake seashell business, Zendaya dazzled even more than we knew she could. Not only did she shine, but the ad was featured on many top advertisements of 2022 lists.
Matthew McConaughey: Doritos
Do you ever just feel a bit flat? Well, this was the concept for Matthew McConaughey’s campaign with the 2021 3D Doritos. In a series of 30-second commercials screened over Super Bowl weekend, Matthew is literally walking around feeling flat. That is until he gets a taste of a 3D Dorito.
Even Jimmy Kimmel got involved in this campaign. In one of the small ads, Jimmy interviews Mindy Kaling, warning her that Matthew “looks different.” Although it’s a strange collaboration, and it looks like Matthew barely did any actual filming, fans found the campaign funny and memorable.
Kardashian Sisters: Mastercard
Often considered the most successful family empire, the three sisters alone (Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe) are worth a combined $2.65 billion, with $1.4 billion from Kim alone. In 2010, when the sisters were filming Seasons 2 and 3 of their hit show, they launched a campaign with Mastercard.
The sisters worked with Mastercard to create a pre-paid credit card for young people. Dubbed a MasterCard, it had scammy withdrawal, monthly, and cancellation fees. Reportedly, only 250 people even bought the Kard, and it was canceled after a few months. Yikes.
Hugh Jackman: Lipton Ice Tea
Fresh off his Oscar-hosting stint in 2009 with all the jazz and pazazz, Hugh Jackman had proven he was a multitalented singer and dancer. His fame and screen presence is a significant brand's selling point, and Lipton saw the potential. With a completely unusual concept, the brand and actor set to make a memorable ad.
In the clip, Hugh sits in a hotel lobby in Tokyo, bored, looking at a magazine with his face on it. He takes a sip of Lipton Iced Tea and can't help but break out into dance; the entire hotel gets involved too. It's safe to say Hugh got the good end of the collaboration, with a three-year deal and a big paycheck.
Ed Sheeran: Heinz
Apparently, Ed Sheeran loves ketchup; like, he really loves it. He even has a tattoo of the Heinz logo. So, Ed partnered with Heinz in 2019 to create an advertisement for the ages. On top of that, to celebrate US National Ketchup Day, they created a new line of ketchup called ‘Edchup.’
An ‘Edchup’ bottle has a cartoon tomato with green vines to match Ed’s hair and glasses. The partnership started when Ed posted a photo to Instagram of him modeling with a Heinz bottle with the caption, “Yo @heinz, I have an idea for a tv ad if you wanna do one.” And you better believe they executed his idea to the T.
Harrison Ford: Amazon Alexa
In a celebrity-powered advertisement for the 2019 Super Bowl, Harrison Ford worked with Amazon to create the best partnership between him and Ke Huy Quan in the Temple of Doom. In the campaign "Not Everything Makes the Cut," Ford and Amazon poke fun at a failed Alexa product, the Alexa-powered dog collar.
Ford's dog barks at Alexa, triggering Alexa to order dog food. Ford is annoyed, but the dog continues to bark, and Alexa adds gravy and sausages. Ford chases the pup upstairs to get him to stop, but the dog is too excited and keeps barking. "You better cancel that order!" Ford yells at the dog.
Jamie Lee Curtis: Activia
In the 2000s, Activia was the yogurt that helped move your bowels, and Jamie Lee Curtis was its spokesperson. However, the company was forced to rebrand after they were sued for $21 million for misleading advertising. The company and campaign became a viral joke; even Saturday Night Live took a jab at them.
In 2021, Jamie told The Kingcast podcast that, although she is grateful for her varied career, she missed being at home with her family. "It's the reason that I sold yogurt that makes you s*** for seven years," she added. Turns out, the yogurt wasn't even helping people as much as she led them to believe in the ads.
Paris Hilton: Carl’s Jr
Carl’s Jr became synonymous with the ‘burgers and bikinis’ advertising strategy for a few years. Paris Hilton worked with the fast food chain in 2005 to create an eyebrow-raising series of commercials that confused just about everyone. In the videos, Paris cleans a car in a scantily clad bikini…and eats a burger simultaneously?
Fans found it a little quirky. With all the controversy around the ad, there was only a 1.6% increase in sales. Carl’s Jr sunk half their costs booking Paris, only to have the ad pulled by networks for inappropriate content. The only thing it increased was web traffic on the chain’s website.
John Cena: Crocs
It may be difficult to believe, but John Cena didn't always have the tough guy rep he has today. In fact, John admitted in 2017 that he "was bullied as a kid." Alongside Drew Barrymore, Henry Lau, and YOONA, John collaborated with Crocs on their 'Come As You Are Campaign.'
The campaign's purpose was to celebrate our individuality and empower people to be themselves. John told Complex, "It's centered around a person's ability to deal with adversity and remain true to oneself." So yes, the collaboration is undoubtedly random, but the intention is wholesome nonetheless.
Bob Dylan: Victoria’s Secret
In an advertisement for Victoria's Secret in 2004, Bob Dylan sings Angels in Venice while he walks eerily around a half-dressed baby-faced Adriana Lima. The two walk around a dimly lit Venetian palazzo, and the ad as a whole wasn't too clear. Although the clip is about 30 seconds, it felt a little longer to some fans.
The combination of artist and brand didn't quite mix with all onlookers. In a press conference in 1967, an audience member asked the singer-songwriter what product he would be willing to sell himself out commercially for. Bob answered quickly with a smile, "Ladies' garments." He was clearly not kidding around.
Mariah Carey: Walkers
Mariah Carey singing All I Want For Christmas during the holiday months is an easy sell. In 2019, when the ad was released, the song was celebrating its 25th birthday. So, for her yearly stint of awakening from hibernation for the Christmas period, the singer fought for a bag of chips and won with that unparalleled whistle tone.
Reportedly, Pepsico, Walker’s parent company, paid Mariah $11 million to appear in the commercial. Although Mariah has claimed she loves the brand’s potato chips, she barely takes a bite, even after fighting for the final bag. Pepsico should have gotten the artist to at least finish the chip for such a big paycheck.
Snoop Dogg: Hot Pockets
In recent years, Snoop Dogg has become more synonymous with commercial collaborations than new music production. This career shift has created endless comedic content for fans of Snoop, or anyone really. Snoop and Hot Pockets teamed up for his most famous partnership to parody the rapper's 2004 song Drop It Like It's Hot.
In a genius marketing stunt 8 years later, Snoop released Pocket It Like It's Hot. Over a decade after the parody dropped, people still count it on their lists of most iconic brand celebrity collaborations. With lyrics as fantastic as "Got some cheesy drizzle, drippin' on my shizzle," how could this not be iconic?
Jennifer Lawrence: My Super Sweet 16
This may be cheating as the now mega-famous actress didn’t technically endorse MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 but just acted in an ad for the show. In the ad, Jennifer Lawrence plays a spoiled birthday girl whose disco ball drops on her elaborate cake and splashes all over her. Jen bursts into tears and yells at her mom.
It’s hilarious and an accurate reflection of the actual show. In a Wired video, Jen revealed that she wasn’t on the show, just the promo. “No, I wasn’t on the show because we weren’t rich, and my parents aren’t awful.” She added, “My first job was for [the show], so I was acting like one of the Sweet 16 girls, but I was not.”
Katy Perry: Sims
For someone who has confessed she doesn’t have a solid connection to gaming, Katy Perry’s collaboration with EA on Sims 3 in 2012 was an unexpected creative direction. EA Games used Katy’s physical likeness and candy-oriented branding to promote the new edition of the game.
Katy created Simlish versions of her hit singles Hot N’ Cold and Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.). To those who are not Sim gamers, Simlish is a fake language explicitly created for the Sims. Katy even released a pack of collectibles in the Simverse called ‘Sweet Treats’ that were confectionary-themed clothes and items.
David Beckham: Burger King
In 2012, Burger King realized their limited range of menu items were not selling widely enough with the growth of a new healthy eating movement. To expand their menu, they added more nutritious options, notably smoothies. And who better is there to appear to mass audiences than soccer extraordinaire and hunk David Beckham.
David promoted the new smoothies in a series of very memorable TV spots. Namely, one where a cashier shows David how they make their ‘healthy’ 351-calorie smoothies. When the smoothie splatters all over David’s shirt, the women in the store beg him to remove it. Aged well or a sign of the times?
Eminem: Lipton Brisk
Even for 2011, the Brisk drink claymation ad for the Super Bowl was cool. For a 40-second ad, it would cost $1.8 million to screen during breaks. On top of that, producing claymation costs an absolute fortune to make. The rapper was reportedly paid $1 million alone to provide his voice.
The video begins with Eminem revealing he gets “asked to do commercials all the time”; however, when he “tries the products,” he “always hates them.” This is how we learned the hardened 8 Mile rapper has a soft spot for iced tea. At the time, most people agreed the ad was odd, especially given he never actually named the product.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek: BMW
In a 2022 ad for the Super Bowl, Zeus and Hera, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek, reveal their plans to retire and move to Palm Springs and relax. However, Zeus’ peace is soon interrupted by people needing help with their electrical problems. Finally, Zeus can relax when Hera gifts him a totally electrical BMW.
With a 60-second clip worth $6.5 million at the Super Bowl, as well as two very expensive A-List actors, it’s safe to say this ad cost BMW an absolute fortune. Arnold even teased the advertisement on his Instagram with a fake movie poster fans didn’t realize was a campaign for BMW.
Muhammed Ali: D-Con Roach Traps
In the mid-1970s, Muhammad Ali lent his face and tough-guy persona to help D-Con sell its innovative new roach traps. The ads featured Ali posing with a glue trap and the tagline "Float like a butterfly, sting like a... glue trap!" The ads were a hit, and D-Con's roach trap sales soared.
It's safe to say roach traps have evolved since then. We now know that glue traps can be very effective at catching roaches but can also trap other animals, such as mice, rats, and even lizards. However, Ali's ad appearances were one of the first times an African American athlete ever promoted a non-sporting product.
Penélope Cruz: Nintendo
Penélope Cruz is famous for many things, namely her beauty, acting, and range. In this 2012 advertisement for the Nintendo 3DS, we get to see Penélope’s competitive side. The Spanish actress goes head to head with her sister, Monica, in a game of Mario Bros. While Penélope establishes herself as the elder, things go south fast.
Penélope loses and, as a part of a bet, is forced to dress up as Mario and ask for groceries in a thick Italian accent while a giggly Monica looks on in the background. As far as performances go, Penélope’s portrayal of Mario isn’t the worst we’ve seen. We just hope the sisters got a good paycheck for the ad.
Tom Hiddleston: Centrum Silver
Tom Hiddleston, one of many actors supplementing their serious career with commercial cash, thought he could get away with a fat paycheck and no one would notice. But, alas, the internet exists, and it was there on cue to set ablaze the first-person perspective of this multivitamin ad.
As Tom’s hypothetical wife, we are greeted by Tom making us breakfast. He quietly prepares up a bowl of the most unappetizing food ever and subtly tells us to take the vitamins. Why is it so silent? Why is he looking at us like that? Eventually, Tom leaves, claiming he’ll be busy for a while, and we just thanked God it was over.
Helen Mirren: Wii Fit
In an attempt to target older British women for their new product, Wii found the most desirable older British woman known to mankind; and who doesn’t want to look like Helen Mirren. The famously (Wii) fit actress was reportedly paid a whopping $807,100 for just two days of shooting.
The pairing is even more random, given Helen’s aversion to exercise. She told Britain’s Daybreak, “I’m so lazy about exercise, like most people, I guess, and I absolutely resisted the offer initially, so it was interesting that I would be asked to do exercise on an ad.” We’re betting the check pulled the actress over the line.
Katherine Heigl: Cat’s Pride
Katherine Heigl spent the early 2000s becoming the new romcom ‘It Girl’, with leading roles in classics like 27 Dresses and Knocked Up. However, things slowly came to light when it implied she was notoriously difficult to work with. We stopped seeing as much of Katherine after that.
That brings us to 2018; Katherine hasn’t had a memorable role since the 2000s, so she turned to commercials to keep things afloat. Declaring herself an ‘animal rights activist,’ Katherine worked with Cat’s Pride to promote cat litter. She has since said she wished to return to Grey’s Anatomy, and it’s unsurprising to see why.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher: Cheetos
In 2021, Cheetos pulled out all the star power they could for a Super Bowl commercial, parodying It Wasn't Me by and with Shaggy himself. Playing hungry versions of themselves, Mila Kunis attempts to conceal her thieving ways while Ashton Kutcher, her real-life husband, just wishes to eat his Cheetos.
Mila hilariously spends the entire ad covered in Cheetos dust. She told Entertainment Tonight, "Every time I've ever been offered a Super Bowl ad, it's always a female having to be scantily clad. And this one comes around, I started laughing so hard, and Ashton was like, 'This is kind of funny.' So I was like, 'We should do it!'"
Ashton Kutcher: PopChips
Perhaps Ashton Kutcher needs Mila to make ad partnership decisions; he doesn’t have the best track record. In 2012, Ashton Kutcher thought it would be a good idea to dress up as an Indian Bollywood producer for PopChips. When the commercial was hit with waves of criticism, the ad was quickly pulled and an apology issued.
The campaign for the potato chip company reportedly cost $1.5 million to produce. Aziz Ansari addressed the controversy three years later in his hit series Master of None. The insensitive ad was lambasted for stereotyping people of Indian descent. Not great feedback for an ad.
O.J. Simpson: Hertz
Yet another celebrity endorsement that hasn't aged too well, OJ Simpson as a spokesperson for Hertz in 1975 on their new rent-a-car program. Labeled in the commercial as "The Superstar in a rent-a-car," he was among the few African American athletes leading campaigns for non-athletic brands.
For 19 years, this was the most famous association the athlete had with getting quickly to a car; but in 1994, the Hertz commercial was overshadowed by OJ's other quick car getaway. According to the Washington Post, OJ's commercials for Hertz increased the company's sales, and he remained the spokesperson until his famous trial.
Harvey Keitel: Direct Line Insurance
Harvey Keitel is a Hollywood great, and his appearance as Winston Wolfe in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is the cream of the pudding. So much so that Harvey was too willing to get involved when insurance company The Direct Line allowed him to reprise his role with a good paycheck.
The gag began in 2014 and continued until 2020, with a 31% increase in sales during the campaign's first year. Given its success, the company's advertising campaign was surprisingly almost killed off before it even began due to claims of misleading advertising. Alas, the joke continued on, and the character lives in infamy.
Method Man: Sour Patch Kids
Method Man’s career may have been high through the 2000s, but we believe he peaked in 2011 with the release of World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids), a song and music video created to promote Sour Patch Kids. Funnily enough, the video was directed by now Oscar-winner writer, actor, and director Taika Waititi.
The rapper and actor admitted he couldn’t market his music to kids; luckily, Sour Patch let him create without parental guidance. We assume Method Man received a hefty payout, given he has barely released any new music. Either that, or he’s still searching for the missing Sour Patch Kids trapped in the corners of the couch.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Facial Fitness Pao
Even the highest-paid athletes in the world can’t resist easy cash. While Cristiano Ronaldo makes $52 million from soccer alone each year, we can’t help but wonder how much Facial Fitness Pao paid him. With sponsors like Nike, Armani, and Tag Heuer, surely he could’ve let this one go?
However, Ronaldo is seemingly the only person in the video that doesn’t even put it in his mouth. Perhaps he might have tried the device if the company had forked out a few million dollars more. Instead, the Portuguese athlete just smiles, wags the device, and kicks a ball around. Cinematic, if you ask us.
Amy Schumer: Tampax
With only thirty US states required by law to teach young women about reproductive health, Amy Schumer took the chance to work with Tampax to educate girls about how to use a tampon. In one ad, Amy demonstrates how to insert a tampon using a donut as her entry point. In classic Amy style, she then eats the donut.
In 2022, tampon sales skyrocketed, and there was a national shortage; Tampax were forced to operate their factories 24/7 to keep up with demand. Weirdly, the company blamed Amy for the scarcity of products. Amy was as confused as we are and shared on her Instagram, “Whoa, I don’t even have a uterus.”
Kesha: Lifestyle Condoms
The Tik Tok star before TikTok even became a thing, Kesha once worked with Lifestyle Condoms to create a limited edition Kesha condom to throw at audience members on her 2011 international Get Sleazy tour. The packaging of the condom had the Cannibal album cover on it.
The company only created 10,000 condoms, and there are very few untouched available to purchase online. She told The Sun about the tour, "You will leave covered in sweat, beer, glitter, and, just maybe, you'll get a special edition Kesha condom." Kesha added, "If it breaks, you have to name your daughter or son after me."