Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot to process following yesterday night’s Super Bowl. Aside from the on-field theatrics (which were nerve-racking to say the least), there was the typical amount of headline-making intrigue going on off the pitch.
Usher performed his half-time act, Taylor Swift was there to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce, and there was the usual downpour of forthcoming film trailers and weird advertisements.
The latter category included the much-anticipated Deadpool 3 teaser, but it was a commercial with Mark Wahlberg that really had the internet buzzing.
Nobody should be surprised to learn that actor Mark Wahlberg is a man of religion and discipline.
The Hollywood celebrity has already talked of God’s role in his life, but it has not been well received in the film business. Only last year, Wahlberg stated:
“I don’t want to force it on anyone, but I refuse to reject my religion. That’s an even greater sin.
“I know it’s unpopular in my field, but I can’t deny my beliefs. It’s critical for me to share that with others. But I have friends from many walks of life, with other faiths and traditions, so it’s vital to respect and honor them as well.
However, many people were perplexed and even ’embarrassed’ by an advertisement starring Wahlberg that played during Friday night’s Super Bowl in Nevada. The 52-year-old joined forces with Jonathan Roumie of TBN’s The Chosen to push the Catholic app Hallow.
“God, we take this moment just to give You thanks,” Wahlberg said in the commercial.
A message appeared on the arena’s big screen, proclaiming, “For the first time ever, join over 100 million people in prayer during Super Bowl LVIII.”
In a press release issued prior to the commercial’s airing, Hallow co-founder and CEO Alex Jones stated: “The goal at Hallow has always been to reach out to as many people as possible, both those who take their faith seriously and especially those who may have fallen away, and invite them deeper into a relationship with God.
“When we learned about the timing of the Big Game this year, we couldn’t have been more excited to work with Mark and Jonathan to use it as an opportunity to invite millions into prayer.”
According to reports, the Hallow app, which allows users to pray while on the go, has been popular since its inception in 2018.
However, many individuals online criticized the commercial and Wahlberg’s involvement.
“Congrats to Mark Wahlberg for making sure that Ben Affleck didn’t embarrass Boston the most this Super Bowl,” a reader said.
Another said, “Somehow the Mark Wahlberg as is atop my leaderboard of weirdest Super Bowl commercials so far.”
A third person said, “Did I just hear Mark Wahlberg say’stay prayed up’?”
Have you seen the commercial in question? If so, what were your thoughts about it?