Miz Cracker and Kim Chi Make Delicious Herstory in Super Bowl Ad

by Brandon Voss

4h ago

What a scoop!

RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Miz Cracker and Kim Chi star in a new Sabra Hummus commercial set to premiere February 2 on Fox during Super Bowl LIV, Adweek reports.

While the San Francisco 49ers face off with the Kansas City Chiefs at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the Sabra ad, created by VaynerMedia, will reportedly be the first Super Bowl commercial to feature drag queens.

In a teaser for the 30-second spot, Miz Cracker and Kim Chi have a kiki over hummus in a dressing room. “I hope this doesn’t give me helmet hair,” Cracker cracks while trying to force a football helmet over her wig. Clock the jars of kimchi and pickles on the table.

“What goes with hummus? Snacks!” reads the teaser’s YouTube copy. “That’s why we’ve got Miz Cracker and Kim Chi suiting up for our #SuperBowlLIV commercial on Feb 2! #HairWeGo!”

I’m gonna be on a super bowl commercial!!!!!! https://t.co/lkItLPpAoZ

— Kim Chi (@KimChi_Chic) January 23, 2020

While Super Bowl commercials are historically unfriendly to women and minorities, instead selling toxic masculinity, Ad Age notes that many of this year’s ads promote diversity using humor.

“Ten years ago if you would have said there would be a queer artist of color in a Super Bowl ad you would have laughed at it,” Kim Chi says.

“Growing up for me there weren’t many Asian representations in pop culture and gay role models were extremely, extremely rare,” adds the South Korean-American drag artist. “For me, to be that for an Asian kid growing up gay in a small town watching football with their family, that’s incredibly exciting.”

The Sabra ad also stars rapper T-Pain, plus Real Housewives of New Jersey frenemies Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice.

“Hummus is for everyone and pairs well with nearly every food you eat,” Jason Levine, Sabra’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “Whatever your passion, however you live, love, eat and enjoy life, this plant-based food is a winner. We’re bringing a diverse group of personalities to the table and demonstrating just how incredibly versatile, relevant and relatable hummus is today. We think we’ve got something for everyone.”

“Inclusive marketing, even under the best intentions, can find itself feeding into the divisiveness of the country,” Levine tells Ad Age, noting the Sabra ad’s “apolitical” approach. “We didn’t want to use one or two celebrities that have a wide reach. We used a lot of people that spoke directly to specific consumer audiences.”

Portia and I are in a Super Bowl commercial! Don’t miss the big game to find out what we all did #BeforeAlexa #ThanksSponsor pic.twitter.com/RQpHTMogfn

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 24, 2020

Other LGBTQ celebrities featured in new ads set to air during Super Bowl LIV include Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness for Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts, talk show host Lilly Singh for Olay, Lil Nas X for Doritos, and Ellen DeGeneres for Amazon Alexa with wife Portia de Rossi.

According to Business Insider, a 30-second Super Bowl spot this year costs as much as $5.6 million.

Coca-Cola broke ground in 2014 with “It’s Beautiful,” the first Super Bowl commercial featuring a family led by a gay couple. Its 2018 Super Bowl commercial, “The Wonder of Us,” included a same-sex couple and a person using they/them pronouns.

Other Drag Race alums to appear in commercials for major brands include Monét X Change for Pepsi, Bob the Drag Queen for Axe, and Shangela for McDonald’s.

Watch the tasty Sabra teaser below.