Naturally, there’s a lot to think about after the Super Bowl last night. Apart from the, to put it mildly, nerve-racking on-field antics, there was the usual level of story-grabbing intrigue occurring off the field.
Taylor Swift was present to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce, Usher gave his halftime act, and there was the customary deluge of upcoming movie trailers and strange commercials.
The much-awaited Deadpool 3 teaser was included in the latter category, but the Mark Wahlberg ad was the one that truly got the internet talking.
The fact that actor Mark Wahlberg is a devout and disciplined guy should come as no surprise.
The well-known Hollywood figure has already discussed the influence of God in his life, but the film industry has not been kind to his remarks. Just a year ago, Wahlberg said:
“I refuse to reject my religion, but I don’t want to force it on anyone.” That is a sin far more serious.
“I can’t ignore my convictions, even when I know they’re not popular in my field. I have to tell other people about that. However, I have friends from a variety of backgrounds and religions, so it’s important to respect and recognize them as well.
An advertisement featuring Mark Wahlberg, nevertheless, confused and even “embarrassed” a lot of people during Friday night’s Super Bowl in Nevada. The 52-year-old teamed up with The Chosen’s Jonathan Roumie on TBN to promote the Catholic app Hallow.
In the ad, Wahlberg said, “God, we take this moment just to give You thanks.”
“Join over 100 million people in prayer during Super Bowl LVIII for the first time ever,” read a message that sprang up on the arena’s large screen.
“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,” said co-founder and CEO of Hallow Alex Jones in a press release released prior to the commercial’s airing.
“We couldn’t have been more excited to work with Mark and Jonathan to use the Big Game this year as an opportunity to invite millions of people to pray when we learned about its timing.”
Since its launch in 2018, the Hallow app, which enables users to pray while on the go, has reportedly gained popularity.
Still, a lot of people expressed their disapproval of Wahlberg’s presence in the commercial online.
One reader said, “Mark Wahlberg deserves praise for ensuring that Ben Affleck didn’t make Boston look bad during the Super Bowl.”
“Somehow, the Mark Wahlberg commercial is at the top of my list of the weirdest Super Bowl commercials so far,” another person commented.
“Did I just hear Mark Wahlberg say’stay prayed up?” inquired a third person.
Have you seen the aforementioned commercial? If yes, what did you think of it?
