Scroll long enough on the internet, and the odds are good you may see Arby’s ads starring Cedric the Entertainer from the Original Kings of Comedy and Black-ish star Anthony Anderson. They’re part of a long tradition of comedians shilling for fast-food chains. Some were championing hot wings or pizza before they hit it big, like Steve Carell. Others, like Kristen Wiig, entered the game after becoming a superstar. Then there’s Jason Alexander, who did it both before and after — proving there’s no wrong way to make a quick buck off a cheap burger.
Here are 10 other examples of comedians doing fast-food commercials, so we can see how they measure up against the new Arby’s campaign with Cedric and Anderson…
Jason Alexander for McDonald’s
A few years before he played George Costanza on Seinfeld, Alexander was his theater-kid self in a McDonald’s ad for the McD.L.T. sandwich. In it, he sang and danced and schmoozed the crowd like Henry Hill in The Music Man all while explaining in intricate detail the very basic ingredients of a McD.L.T. The only thing he didn’t explain in his lyrics was whether the McD.L.T. was as good to eat during sex as a pastrami on rye with mustard.
Kristen Wiig for Pizza Hut
Again, this Pizza Hut spot starring Wiig came after her roles on Saturday Night Live and in Bridesmaids. The commercial is actually pretty funny, although not nearly as epic as her Target Lady.
Steve Carell for McDonald’s
Carell had three hands in his McDonald’s ad for the “3 for All” deal, which sounds almost as good as Pretzel Day.
Darrell Hammond, Norm Macdonald, Jim Gaffigan, Rob Riggle, Reba McEntire and Jason Alexander for KFC
Over the past decade, KFC has released some truly unhinged ads that feature comedy stars — as well as some non-comedians like Billy Zane and George Hamilton — impersonating Colonel Sanders. It began when Hammond gave a characteristically spot-on impression of the Colonel, which Alexander followed with a clever 1990s sitcom-themed spot. The funniest spots, however, starred Macdonald; his Colonel featured an old-timey hokiness you just can’t beat.
John Goodman and Megan Mullally for McDonald’s
Two of the biggest sitcom stars of the ‘90s, Will and Grace’s Mullally and Roseanne’s Goodman, appeared in the same McDonald’s ad together. That’s exactly the kind of gimmicky crossover ‘90s sitcoms used to love.
Popeye for Popeyes (But Of Course)
Technically, Popeye the Sailor Man and Popeyes the chicken restaurants are unrelated. Yet, for decades, Popeye regularly appeared in ads for the fast-food chain. When they dumped the Sailor Man in 2012, Popeyes claimed a shift in its brand strategy, but the move may have also had to do with the conspicuous lack of spinach on the Popeyes menu.
Pete Davidson for Taco Bell
Just a couple of years ago, Davidson starred in a series of ads for Taco Bell in which he promoted a newly toned-down breakfast menu. Apparently, the intention was to choose a not-so-toned down guy to cleverly sell the message, but the result was just a series of really dull ads.
Jay and Silent Bob for Dunkin’ Donuts
Just recently, Jay and Silent Bob starred in a Dunkin’ commercial. I mean, they had to push some kind of drug since weed became legal in New Jersey.
Gilbert Gottfried for Subway
The late Gottfried appeared in many commercials, most notably as the Aflac duck. He also shilled for Baby Ruth candy bars, Glad bags, Banquet microwave dinners, Pop-Tarts and smoke detectors. When it came to fast food, he did a series of ads for Subway in which he played a shadow puppet. The ads only lasted a short time before Subway switched back to more commercials starring Jared, which probably seemed like a safer bet at the time.
Pepe the King Prawn for Long John Silver’s
Finally, in the early aughts, we got the single greatest pairing of brand and celebrity ever: Pepe the King Prawn from the Muppets and Long John Silver’s. While you might think there would be a moral quandary for a prawn to sell shrimp platters, it never seemed to bother Pepe. He is the Muppet who partied with P. Diddy after all, so he’s probably done worse.
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