Odd Super Bowl ad starring Temple grad and ex-NFL star didn't air in Philly
Only one Super Bowl spot actually went all-in and cast a President Trump impersonator. And Philadelphians didn’t even get to see it.
A number of commercials that aired during the Super Bowl had political undercurrents, including Pennsylvania-based 84 Lumber, whose ad was censored by Fox for featuring a border wall.
But only one spot actually went all-in and cast a President Trump impersonator. And Philadelphians didn't even get to see it.
Cyprus Air, a Virginia-based heating and cooling company, only aired its ad in the Washington, D.C., market. But the 30-second spot, which also stars former Washington Redskins offensive lineman Joe Jacoby, had amassed more than 730,000 views so far on YouTube.
"Washington is soooo cold. I thought Russia was cold," says Trump, played in the commercial by veteran impersonator John Di Domenico, a Temple graduate and Ambler native.
The commercial, an attempt to sell gas fireplaces to Washingtonians, makes the predictable jokes about the sale being "yuuuggge" and customers being "winners."
At one point in the spot, Jacoby, a Hall of Fame finalist who didn't make the cut for the second straight year, holds up his right hand, showcasing the three Super Bowl rings he won as a member of "The Hogs" offensive line.
"You know, Joe, you're a winner, I'm a winner, everyone's a winner with Cyprus Air's gas fireplaces," fake Trump says as he lowers Jacoby's oversized hand.
According to Washingtonian magazine, Di Domenico makes up to $5,000 to star in commercials such as this one. Actor Alec Baldwin, in comparison, earns $1,400 for his Saturday Night Live appearances as Trump.
Baldwin has one advantage — the president actually watches (and comments on) how he's portrayed on SNL. Trump watched the Super Bowl this year at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, so he missed out on the D.C. spot.
"It's just good, innocent humor," Cyprus Air general manager Peter Demetri told NBC 4 in Washington. "We're not trying to poke the bear."
This isn't the first Super Bowl ad Jacoby has done for Cyprus Air. Last year, he appeared in a gory ad that featured a man who "lost three fingers chopping wood" because he didn't buy a gas fireplace.