Tubi Super Bowl Ad: 15 Seconds Is All It Takes

Millions of people were fooled during the Super Bowl LVII broadcast as Tubi released one of the most problematic commercials in advertising history. Who would’ve thought that a fifteen second commercial could cause so much chaos? For those who might’ve missed it, the ad starts off with game commentators appearing on the screen, which is usually the sign of an end to a commercial break. However, when a menu abruptly popped up at the bottom of the screen and switched it to the Tubi platform, people were quick to point fingers at whomever they thought changed the channel. After six seconds passed of viewers all over the nation accosting each other, confusion and realization settled in as the Tubi logo appeared at the end, signaling that it was just a commercial. The brilliant ad definitely got people’s attention, that’s for sure. I originally thought that was one of the greatest highlights of the night, placed right next to Rhianna and her marshmallow-suited dancers.

When you’re having a laugh with friends and family, it’s hard to remember the other side of the coin– the side that had people rattled instead of entertained. Social media users were quick to post about situations in which a family member, partner, or even stranger reacted rather explosively to who could’ve touched the remote. Stories of the domestic violence that some watchers experienced over this fifteen second Super Bowl commercial spread like wildfire, and it didn’t take too long to realize how much damage the ad caused. One experience in particular had people grasping the reality of the situation as a post on Reddit, now deleted, went viral. The story was from a female user, a part of the r/offmychest community, titled “I broke up with my boyfriend over the Tubi Super Bowl Commercial.” The 23-year old female revealed that her 25-year old boyfriend believed that she was the one who changed the channel, and began to scream obscenities at her. “Even as I told him it was a commercial he ignored me and kept blowing up at me and punched a hole in our living room wall,” she wrote in her post.

If the violent outburst doesn’t shock you, maybe the fact that she was told she was overreacting the next day will. The revelation led to many other stories trickling in as people shared their domestic violence experiences over the commercial. One TikTok video posted by user chellyreed1345 said, “Tubi, I didn’t find your commercial funny… I had the whole bar yelling at me.” Following up on that, a user commented “My husband had a pint glass smashed on his face and several of his piercings ripped out while trying to defend his female colleagues at the bar.”

In another TikTok video outkicksports posted actual footage of a disturbing live reaction. It starts off with a man yelling, “Hey, what are you doing?!” very loudly, immediately causing the household to sit up straight in fear. He proceeds to round the couch and scream for them to get up as they shrug or hold up their hands to show they weren’t in possession of the remote. The video was titled, “Fans losing it during the Tubi Super Bowl commercial” followed by a laughing emoji.

Then, there’s the social media users that tried to downplay the seriousness of it all. In fact, they used themselves as stories of how people may have reacted to the commercial. User Josh Reynolds24 tweeted, “Arguably worse than the Eagles loss, I now have my relationship with my Mother In-Law to repair after I regrettably called her a “bitch” thinking she changed the channel during the @Tubi commercial.”

Joe Santagato also tweeted, “That Tubi commercial came on & I yelled at every single person in this room.”

The encounters continue to range from people getting yelled at in bars, children getting scolded by family members, and significant others being physically and mentally abusive. The whole thing is damaging, there’s no other way of putting it.

What’s strange, however, is the lingering question on whether or not Tubi could’ve predicted such outcomes. I mean, I’m no marketing major, but I’m pretty sure an idea for an advertisement should go through extensive scrutiny to prevent any company fallout. One would think Tubi would have the common sense to realize that, especially with the overwhelmingly high domestic violence statistics when it comes to sports events. Lancaster University studied a number of reports of abuse to a police force during three football World Cups and found that such reports increased by 26% when a team won, as well as by 38% when a team lost.

In America, a study was conducted in 2011 that looked at 900 NFL games over the years and found that it led to a 10% increase in the rate of at-home violence by men against their wives and girlfriends.

This wasn’t the only thing suspicious about the marketing of the Tubi Super Bowl commercial. I was reading the comments of a Tiktok regarding the advertisement when I came across something odd: “Notice how in the commercial it picks the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, too :/” user squimp. shady said. I didn’t really know what they were referring to until I came across the legal battle of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. According to the New York Times, Angelina Jolie filed a cross complaint against her ex-husband Brad Pitt… disclosing new details about what she described in court papers as abusive behavior by him on a private plane in 2016 that led to the dissolution of their marriage. Knowing this had me at a crossroads. Of all the movies Tubi could’ve picked to include in their commercial, why did they choose one that casted actors who were dealing with a real life domestic violence case? I’d like to believe Tubi didn’t purposely instigate any violence with their marketing strategies, but evidence such as this leads to the contrary.

How can a low-stakes comedic ad turn into a catalyst for oppression so quickly? It’s getting to the point where jokes or pranks can’t be taken lightly anymore; it can be funny for one person, and be absolutely damning for another. Quite recently in my Austen and Adaptation class, we were given a pre-lesson for the next session. The professor gave an example that ironically related to the same topic of misplaced comedy.

“I’ve taught here for a long time and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tripped at the crosswalk. Of course I laugh and some people around me laugh - I mean, tripping over myself is funny,” Professor Snook says. “But, when a person trips on the crosswalk and suddenly gets hit by a car, it’s not so funny anymore.”

She goes on to explain how such a low stake comedic situation can quickly be turned around to be the complete opposite. The lesson that this holds is so utterly important, and though we shouldn’t have to worry about it in the first place, in the society that we live in we have to. People could have their mixed views on the Tubi commercial, but there’s no denying the fact that it should’ve been produced differently - in a way that would let the entirety of America laugh, and not just the people who are safe from the hands of abusers. Even if it wasn’t a commercial, people shouldn’t have to panic for something as trivial as accidentally sitting on the remote. The fact that this was a commercial gives no excuse for anyone to scream or become physically aggressive towards another individual because of a sporting event that will have no impact whatsoever in their lives.

We need to raise awareness of domestic violence to hold abusers accountable for their actions and to make people realize that it should not be condoned in any circumstance.

For resources or support pertaining to matters of domestic abuse or violence in all forms, consider these organizations