Succession
The HBO dramedy may be over, but two of its stars put in appropriately bizarre showings at the Super Bowl. Kieran Culkin—who won the Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG awards for his work in the show’s final season—voiced a beluga whale for Nerdwallet, while Jeremy Strong immersed himself in what can best be described as coffee bean broth for Dunkin’.
Honorable mentions
They didn’t make it into two Super Bowl ads, but they got Super Bowl-adjacent shoutouts.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
Matt Damon co-starred in Stella Artois’ Super Bowl ad as, inexplicably, soccer star David Beckham’s long-lost twin brother, where he name-checks Ben Affleck in a way only besties can. In turn, Damon was also name-checked in the Ben Affleck-starring teaser for Dunkin’s ad, “DunKings 2: The Bean Method.” Damon was part of the original DunKings boy band, but apparently the lineup is more Menudo than *NSYNC. (And yes, we do miss him.)
Muppets
Booking.com sent Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the crew around the world for its “Get Your Stay Ridiculously Right” Big Game spot, while in a regional Big Game ad, sneaker brand On paired Elmo with tennis superstar Roger Federer. The hustle is understandable, as Sesame Street is seeking new ownership.
