Ryan Reynolds Thanks “America’s Ass” After Chris Evans Compliments His Latest Ad Campaign

With Super Bowl 54 just a matter of days away, major companies are starting to get their ducks in a row with regards to their marketing. It’s certainly no secret that Super Bowl advertisements have cost a pretty penny, with this year’s 30-second commercials expected to cost anywhere from $5 million to $5.6 million. Actor-turned-businessman Ryan Reynolds is finding a creative way to subvert that price tag, by using it to take out a full-page ad in the New York Times for his mobile phone company Mint Mobile. As the ad reveals, they instead are going to use the money to provide a three-month free trial for any new subscribers.

The campaign has caught the attention of many, including Captain America actor Chris Evans, who proclaimed that Reynolds is “killing it” with his innovative ad campaigns. Reynolds subsequently responded as only he could, by thanking “America’s ass” (a nod to a memorable line about Evans in last year’s Avengers: Endgame) while also dubbing himself “Canada’s jackass”.

“On Sunday, some companies will spend over $5 million dollars to advertise in a game so expensive I can’t even mention its name lest we summon its army of lawyers,” Reynolds wrote in Mint Mobile’s NY Times ad. “As the new owner of Mint Mobile, that’s a HARD no. Mint offers premium wireless service for just $15 dollars a month, so we could literally give away over 300,000 months of free service and still save money. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Sign up for Mint Mobile after kickoff and before the final whistle, and get 3 months of Mint Mobile service free.”

The Mint Mobile campaign is just the latest bit of headline-worthy marketing that Reynolds has helped create, after his Aviation Gin company poked fun at the infamous “Peloton wife” commercial late last year. The initial ad followed a woman (played by Monica Ruiz) unintentionally being traumatized by her own dedication to the Peloton lifestyle after getting the exercise bike from her husband as a Christmas gift. Just days later, Ruiz loosely reprised her role in an Aviation Gin ad, in which her girlfriends offer her solace – and booze – to help with the pain.

“As an actor, I can certainly relate to creating a piece of content or being part of something that’s not well received, and how alienating that can feel,” Reynolds said of the advertisement in a New York Times interview. “We had immense respect for any reservations she might have had. We don’t want to make the situation any worse for her.”

Super Bowl 54 will kick off on Sunday, February 2nd.