NEWSTop 10 Celebrity Endorsements That Nearly Broke the Internet
July 23 2025, Published 1:43 a.m. ET
Some say celebs are just like us regular folks, and maybe they are. Even your favorite Hollywood A-listers (think Scarlett Johansson, Justin Bieber, and Brad Pitt) sometimes tout the odd brand or product. In a lot of cases, their advertising deals do okay or go swish without pulling many eyeballs.
Then there are those celebrity endorsements that were either so good or so bizarre that we're still talking about them. Here are the top ten that made us stop scrolling and say ‘ahh’ or ‘wait, what?’
1. Kim Kardashian + Charmin
The number one spot goes to Kim Kardashian's Charmin toilet paper endorsement, if only because it's so perfectly absurd. In 2010, at the height of her reality TV fame, Kim appeared at a Times Square ribbon-cutting for a public restroom. The photos of her awkwardly posed between two plush bear mascots are internet gold.
The Kardashian brand is built on glamour, money, and aspiration. Toilet paper doesn't exactly fit that image. But that's what makes it so memorable. Kim had just moved to New York, so maybe she said yes because she was in the neighborhood.
2. Michael Cera + CeraVe Skincare
Michael Cera hadn't had a proper star moment since Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.But his CeraVe campaign brought him back, and hard. The genius was in the name – CeraVe, Michael Cera. Get it?
The ads leaned into the joke, with Cera imagining himself as a mystical skincare guru who created the ultimate moisturizing cream. He massaged his own face, spoke to dolphins in dolphin language, and climbed mountains while moisturizing. His trademark awkward charisma made the whole thing spot-on.
3. Snoop Dogg + Hot Pockets – Stoner logic
Rappers can make songs about anything, but Snoop Dogg's Hot Pockets endorsement took product placement to new heights. The West Coast legend recorded Pocket Like It's Hot, a parody of his classic Drop It Like It's Hot. Just imagine – it was all about microwaving frozen snacks.
The music video featured Snoop partying with the humanoid Hot Pocket mascot, Herbie. Both fringed by video vixens. His stoner rap sheet made the whole thing believable. Of course, Snoop had eaten his share of microwave snacks. The absurdity made it memorable, and the catchy tune made it impossible to forget.
4. Kristen Wiig + Target
Sometimes the best endorsements are the ones that make fun of themselves. Target's collab with Kristen Wiig brought her beloved SNL's Target Lady character to life in official ads. The self-aware humor made Target look like a brand that didn't take itself too seriously, much like their shoppers, who already spent way too much money there.
5. Bob Dylan + Victoria's Secret
Few endorsements have bombed as spectacularly as Bob Dylan's 2004 Victoria's Secret commercial. The folk legend crooned his song Love Sick while the camera panned creepily over model Adriana Lima's body. The constant cuts back to Dylan's weathered face made the whole thing feel deeply bizarre.
The ad was peak early-2000s sleaze, and not in a good way. It felt like watching your grandfather try to be sexy, and nobody asked for that.
6. Matthew McConaughey + Lincoln – Alright, alright, alright
McConaughey's Lincoln ads became instant memes. The Oscar winner would sit in luxury cars, staring pensively into the distance while delivering cryptic monologues about life, time, and finding your moment.
The ads were so over-the-top that they became comedy gold. Ellen DeGeneres parodied them on her show, and social media couldn't get enough.
7. John Cena + Crocs – I hope no one saw that
John Cena can sell anything. The wrestler-turned-actor has pushed everything from Capri Sun to trash bags, so Crocs seemed like an easy win. But somehow, this endorsement went viral for all the wrong reasons.
The anti-bullying themed campaign had Cena opening up about his schooldays, telling kids to put muscles on instead of revenge. Sweet message, but what did any of that have to do with foam shoes? The whole thing felt disconnected and terribly bizarre.
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8. Justin Long + Apple Inc. – Making nerdy cool
‘Hello, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC.’
Unless you lived under a rock in the mid-2000s, you heard these words more times than you can count. Justin Long became the face of Apple's Get a Mac campaign, playing the hip, cool Mac opposite John Hodgman's stuffy PC character. The ads were everywhere, and they worked.
9. Justin Bieber + OPI Nail Polish
Say, peak awkward. Picture a 2011 Justin, with Bieber Fever at its peak, and somehow the pop prince is peddling nail polish. He partnered with OPI to push a collection that sold over one million bottles without Biebs ever touching a nail file.
The whole thing felt like a fever dream, but his teenage fans didn't care. Today, his wife Hailey handles the beauty endorsements, which makes way more sense.
10. Will Ferrell + PayPal – Ridiculously funny
Everyone knows that anything Will Ferrell touches turns into gold. The SNL alum is so much of a pleasure to watch in the 2024 PayPal ad series that the internet ate it up.
It features a viral 60-second spot where Ferrell sees a PayPal user and loses his mind with excitement. After hearing about the ‘wild’ 5% cash back, he breaks into an over-the-top rendition of Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere. Will takes PayPal to ridiculously funny places, including a shady lemonade stand.
Ferrell's easy-going charisma helped push PayPal's message: that the new debit is ridiculously easy to use. It's on par in convenience and rewards with using BNPL services like Klarna, paying in-store with Apple Pay, and using digital wallets to transact at Google Pay casinos, web stores, or apps. Only a comedic genius like Will Ferrell can take a light swipe at such big brands as Apple and Google to make PayPal look cool.
