NATIONAL NEWS

Super Bowl LX ads feature AI, weight-loss drugs and celebs from George Clooney to Kendall Jenner

Feb 3, 2026, 8:56 PM | Updated: Feb 6, 2026, 7:16 am

This undated image provided by Uber Eats shows Bradley Cooper, left, and Matthew McConaughey in a s...

This undated image provided by Uber Eats shows Bradley Cooper, left, and Matthew McConaughey in a scene from the Uber Eats 2026 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Uber Eats via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Uber Eats via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the battle off the field for advertisers to win over 120 million-plus viewers will be just as heated as the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Dozens of advertisers are pulling out all the stops for Super Bowl 60, airing Sunday on NBC. They’re hoping that audiences tuning in will remember their brand names as they stuff their ads with celebrities ranging from Kendall Jenner (Fanatics Sportsbook) to George Clooney (Grubhub), tried-and-true ad icons like the Budweiser Clydesdales, and nostalgia for well-known movie properties such as “Jurassic Park” (Comcast Xfinity).

Each year Super Bowl ads offer a snapshot of the American mood — as well as which industries are flush with cash that particular year: from the “Dot-Com Bowl” of 2000 to the “Crypto Bowl” of 2022.

This year’s trends include health and telehealth companies advertising weight loss drugs and medical tests, tech companies showing off their latest gadgets and apps and advertisers showcasing AI in their ads.

Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor said because of the heavy headlines in the news lately — from the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota to conflicts abroad — he expects a advertisers to stick to a light and silly tone.

“Because of the Super Bowl’s status as a pop culture event with a fun party atmosphere, the vast majority of brands will avoid any dark or divisive tone and instead allow consumers to escape from thinking about these troubled times,” he said.

Record-breaking prices

Advertisers flock to the Super Bowl each year because so many people watch the big game. In 2025, a record 127.7 million U.S. viewers watched the game across television and streaming platforms.

Demand is higher than ever, since live sporting events are one of the few remaining places in the fractured media landscape where advertisers can reach a large audience. NBC sold out of ad space in September.

Space sold for an average of $8 million per 30-second unit, but a handful of spots sold for $10 million-plus, a record, said Peter Lazarus, executive vice president, sports & Olympics, advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal. He said he was calling February, with the Super Bowl, Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game, “legendary February.”

Lazarus said 40% of advertisers bought across all of NBC’s major sports properties, and 70% of Super Bowl advertisers bought the Olympics as well.

Celebrities galore

Featuring celebrities is a tried-and-true way advertisers can get goodwill from viewers. This year, Fanatics Sportsbook enlists Kendall Jenner to talk about the “Kardashian Kurse,” in which bad things happen to basketball players she dates.

George Clooney appears in a Grubhub add to promote a deal that the delivery app offers to “Eat the Fees” on orders of $50 or more.

Several ads feature more than one celebrity or sports star. Michelob Ultra shows Kurt Russell training actor Lewis Pullman, as Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and hockey player T.J. Oshie watch on a ski slope.

Xfinity reunites Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in a tongue-and-cheek reimagining of “Jurassic Park” that shows an Xfinity tech bringing power back to the island so nothing goes awry.

And Uber Eats enlists Matthew McConaughey for the second year in a row to convince celebrities — this year it is Bradley Cooper and Parker Posey — that football is a conspiracy to make people hungry so they order food.

AI takes the stage

For the second year in a row, AI is making waves in Super Bowl ads.

Oakley Meta touts their AI-enabled glasses in two action-packed spots showing Spike Lee, Marshawn Lynch and others using the glasses to film video and answer questions.

Wix Harmony debuted an ad that features its web design software that uses AI tools. Wix is also airing an add for Base44, an AI app builder. And OpenAI will advertise during the game with a yet-to-be revealed ad.

Svedka Vodka enlisted Silverside AI, an AI studio, to help create their ad, which features their robot mascot FemBot along with a male counterpart, BroBot. They took that approach because of Svedka’s positioning as the “vodka of the future,” said Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, which bought the Svedka brand in 2025.

“We reimagined the robot via AI,” Saunders said. “It took us many, many months to rebuild her, to give her functionality, to give her that human spirit that we wanted to show up on behalf of the brand.”

Health and telehealth

Health and telehealth providers are everywhere during Super Bowl 60. Two pharma companies are advertising tests: Novartis touts a blood test to screen for prostate cancer with the tagline “Relax your tight end,” featuring football tight ends relaxing. Boehringer Ingelheim’s ad stars Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara, who encourage people to screen for kidney disease.

Liquid I.V., which makes an electrolyte drink mix, has teased an ad about staying hydrated.

Telehealth firm Ro is using Serena Williams in their ad for GLP-1 weigh loss drugs. Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy and Ozempic, has teased that it will have a spot as well.

Hims & Hers — another company that offers GLP-1 weight loss drugs — has an ad that says the company gives people better access to health care that usually only rich people get.

“You could call this the GLP-1 Super Bowl,” said Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University. “Often you don’t see a lot from pharmaceutical companies on the Super Bowl, but this year we’re going to see quite a few showing up.”

Tried-and-true themes

Some advertisers are sticking to the tried and true. Budweiser’s heartwarming ad shows a Clydesdale foal growing up with a bald eagle to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” The ad celebrates Budweiser’s 150th anniversary.

And Pepsi tries to reignite the Cola wars with their ad showing polar bears — Coca-Cola’s famous mascots — picking Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke Zero in a blind taste test. The ad ends with the bears being caught on a “kiss cam.”

Surprises

While the majority of Super Bowl advertisers release their ad early to try to capitalize on buzz, some hold back until game day to reveal their ad.

Pepsi-owned soft drink Poppi teased that pop star Charli XCX and actress Rachel Sennott will star in their ad.

Ben Affleck is back in an ad for Dunkin’ Donuts. A teaser spot showed him with ’90s sitcom legends Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc of “Friends” and Jason Alexander from “Seinfeld.”

And there are fewer car advertisers this year, but Cadillac is hinting that it will show off its new Formula 1 car in an ad.

National News

FILE - Law enforcement vehicles sit parked outside the Florida state prison in Starke, Fla., on Tue...

Associated Press

Florida is set to carry out 18th execution this year and moving closer to tying record

MIAMI (AP) — Florida is set Tuesday to carry out its 18th execution of the year under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term. William Reaves, 77, was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder for the 1986 shooting of Indian River County Deputy Richard […]

1 hour ago

President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19...

Associated Press

Gimmick or giveback? Even some Trump supporters don’t expect to get $5,000 checks after midterms

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is hoping that $5,000 checks can juice Republican turnout in November’s midterm elections — but even some of his devoted fans are doubting that government payouts would arrive. “I mean, I guess it’s good for some people. I really don’t care,” said Jamie Alvarez, who attended Trump’s recent Alaska […]

1 hour ago

no kings seattle protest...

James Lynch

Seattle police report no major incidents at No Kings rally

Seattle police are calling Saturday’s No Kings rally and march a success, reporting no arrests, property damage, or issues involving participants.

3 hours ago

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United ...

Associated Press

US ties with Ukraine hit new low as Trump slights Zelenskyy and eases up on Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald Trump’s recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war. Trump’s relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has always been a moving target, while the […]

6 hours ago

Police caution tape surrounds Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Ore., Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, a day af...

Associated Press

Parents of Bend school shooting victim hire attorneys to investigate school plans and gun purchase

The parents of one of three children killed in last week’s shooting at an elementary school in Oregon have hired attorneys to investigate the school’s protocols and how the teenage gunman got his weapon. Rhoam Summer, 5, was one of three children killed along with a teacher in the attack Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary […]

7 hours ago

The Mall of America flies an American flag, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Bloomington, Minn. (AP Phot...

Associated Press

Minnesota teen accused of plotting terror attack at Mall of America to remain jailed

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An 18-year-old from Minnesota who prosecutors say planned a terror attack at the Mall of America and who was arrested after buying an AK-47 from an undercover FBI employee must remain in custody, a federal judge ruled Monday. Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, an American-born U.S. citizen of Somali descent, won’t be released because […]

7 hours ago

Super Bowl LX ads feature AI, weight-loss drugs and celebs from George Clooney to Kendall Jenner