Super Bowl 2025 Ads
The Death of Funny Commercials
Well, folks, we’ve got some bad news: the Super Bowl commercials this year were a dumpster fire. What happened to the golden age of laugh-out-loud ads?
Instead, we got The Great Celebrity Infestation of 2025. Apparently, ad agencies have decided that rather than writing an actual joke, they can just toss a famous person on screen, have them do literally anything, and call it comedy. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Here’s our take on three of the worst offenders from this year’s game.
1. Dunkin' Donuts: "The DunKings" (Or, "How Many Celebrities Does It Take to Sell a Coffee?")
Dunkin’ really said, Who needs humor when you have Ben Affleck? They roped in Jeremy Strong, Kevin Smith, and Jason Mewes to form a faux pop group, because apparently, the joke is… that this is happening? Sure, Casey Affleck and Bill Belichick showed up, but it felt like a desperate attempt to recreate last year’s Affleck-Dunkin’ magic, just with more A-listers and zero punchlines. Jeremy Strong took method acting to a new level by literally bathing in coffee grounds, which was honestly more terrifying than funny. Maybe next year, Dunkin’ will just cast the entire cast of Oppenheimer and call it a day.
2. Hellmann’s: "When Harry Met Mayo" (Or, "Please, No More Remakes")
Hellmann’s decided the best way to sell mayonnaise was by dragging Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal out of retirement to recreate When Harry Met Sally—but with Sydney Sweeney thrown in for some Gen Z appeal. Why? Who knows! Instead of actual humor, we got a weirdly forced nostalgia trip that tried to be funny because it exists. The original deli scene? Iconic. This version? Painful. At one point, Sweeney dramatically whispers, "I’ll have what she’s having" while holding a spoonful of mayo. That’s not a joke. That’s a cry for help.
3. Amazon Alexa: "The Mind-Reading Assistant" (Or, "Big Brother, But Make It Quirky")
Amazon’s latest Alexa ad attempted to be funny by showing a world where Alexa can read minds. Featuring a mix of A-listers like Ryan Reynolds and Jennifer Lawrence, the commercial followed them awkwardly navigating life as Alexa blurted out their unfiltered thoughts. Sure, it’s relatable—we all fear our devices know too much—but instead of actual jokes, we got predictable punchlines and overplayed "Oops, I didn’t mean to say that!" moments. Plus, did we really need another reminder that Amazon is listening to everything?
The Harsh Reality: Funny Super Bowl Ads Are Dead
If the 2025 Super Bowl commercials have taught us anything, it’s that humor in advertising is officially on life support. Instead of clever, well-crafted jokes, we got 30-second exercises in celebrities. Maybe it’s the fear of offending people. Maybe it’s lazy writing. Maybe brands think we’ll blindly laugh at the mere sight of a famous face. Either way, we deserve better.
So here’s our plea to marketers everywhere: next year, put down the celebrity Rolodex, hire an actual comedy writer, and for the love of all things hilarious, make us laugh again.
Until then, we’ll be mourning the loss of true Super Bowl ad greatness. RIP, funny commercials. You were too good for this world.
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