Super Bowl LV may have seen an epic clash between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes,
but as with most years, most of the online conversation around the event focused on the
commercials. One of the night's memorable ads was a Jeep commercial that featured a
voiceover from Bruce Springsteen, featuring a powerful message about unity. Ironically,
the message — which beckoned people from both sides of political lines to come
together — turned out to be quite divisive. For example, one fan of the ad tweeted:
"One of Bruce Springsteen's best magic tricks is taking something
that could've been super corny and making you feel it in your bones."
But not everyone was moved by the TV spot,
with some fans annoyed by the political commentary. Another poster said:
"As someone who deeply admires Bruce Springsteen, I just have to say that
Jeep commercial was sad. A great artist paid to further a deeply misguided idea."
Springsteen's collaboration with Jeep on this commercial was a career first,
as the singer is notoriously elusive when it comes to the ad world.
Olivier Francois, chief marketing officer at Jeep's parent company,
even told Variety how he had to court the musician for many years. Francois explained:
"Bruce is not for sale. He's not even for rent.
He certainly doesn't need anything you think you have."
The marketing executive said that Springsteen's involvement in the commercial came together in
early 2021 after Francois exchanged New Year's texts with Jon Landau, the singer's long-time
manager. Landau had agreed to look at a treatment for the TV spot, and later told Billboard:
"When we saw it, we just felt that Bruce could turn this into something special."
Days after the ad aired, however, Jeep found themselves embroiled in a whole new controversy.
"Now the Boss, busted in New Jersey. Police arrested rock legend and New
Jersey native Bruce Springsteen on DWI charges."
Then, on February 10th, Jeep decided to take the ad down from their YouTube page and their
social media accounts. Jeep's decision to pull the ad reportedly had nothing to
do with viewers' mixed reactions, but was a decision taken after it became
clear the "Born to Run" singer had been arrested over a DWI the previous November.
According to reports, he was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving,
and consuming alcohol in a closed area after being stopped in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.
Although the arrest had taken place the previous November,
it didn't come to Jeep's attention until after the ad aired,
with TMZ finally breaking the news. In a statement to THR, a spokesperson for the company said:
"[I]t's also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual
facts can be established. Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever.
As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the National Park Service described Springsteen as "cooperative
throughout the process." According to the New York Post, Springsteen's issues
at the park arose when he pulled over on his motorcycle to interact with a group of fans.
A source claimed that the "Born in the U.S.A." singer took a shot of tequila with the group
after posing for a photo. A nearby park ranger witnessed the interaction and subsequently decided
to pull him over. The ranger alleged that Springsteen refused to take a breathalyzer,
according to a copy of the arrest report obtained by Fox News. The ranger claimed:
"[He] smelt strongly of alcohol coming off his person and had glassy eyes.
[He] claimed that he had two shots of tequila in the last 20 minutes."
The ranger asked the singer to perform a field sobriety test,
and decided to arrest him after observing him "visibly swaying back and forth." Shortly after
the news of Springsteen's arrest broke, a source claimed to Asbury Park Press that the New Jersey
native's blood-alcohol content was actually below the legal limit. An insider also told CNN:
"When this is all resolved, I think,
people are gonna have some serious doubts about the seriousness of this,
especially when the actual details of this are revealed, including the blood alcohol level."
Still, it looks like Jeep's message of unity has been torpedoed for now — and,
until the truth comes out, it may just stay that way.
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