Reddit Makes A 'Jardiance Lady Challenge' - The Response Is Not What You'd Think
It's not easy being the Jardiance lady.
While the diabetes drug commercial — which has racked up constant airplay over the past year — provided the world with a hummable, easily-remembered jingle, it's also earned a whole lot of scorn for Deanna Colón, the "America's Got Talent" and "Master Chef" alum who plays its enthusiastic lead singer and dancer. Just take a look at her account on X, formerly known as Twitter, and you'll see how many negative comments about her weight, demeanor, and health she's had to cope with and combat since 2022.
To ameliorate that negativity, Reddit fans who populate r/commercialshate – a place that has admittedly been less-than-positive toward Colón and the commercial — have banded together in a challenge to say one nice thing about her work. "There has to be some redeeming quality in there," said u/clangan524, the thread's original poster, who additionally provided a compliment on Colón's dancing.
Other posters rose to the occasion. "Honestly she has a really nice smile," wrote u/Chaotic-Stardive. "I like the yellow dress she wears," u/cocomimi3 commented. "I think she's very pretty. She's not my issue with the commercial...it's the damn song," admitted u/InevitablePersimmon6. Lots of users pointed to Colón's talent. But some users chose to poke further fun at the commercial, pointing out the perky politeness of Colón's treatment of her assistants and quoting the song in the ad.
Elsewhere, other r/commercialshate Redditors have pointed out how mean the commentary around the Jardiance commercial has gotten.
Other Redditors have pointed out how cruel the commentary can be
A post from a now-deleted Reddit user shows how hurtful the commentary around the Jardiance commercial – and Deanna Colón – has gotten. "I'm sick of how fatphobia seems the be the ONE form of bigotry that's allowed on Reddit," they said. Most commenters tried to defend their actions, while others simply continued to perpetuate the apparent issue. Some Redditors felt that there were other reasons for the negativity surrounding the commercial. "I think the hate mostly comes from the commercial being shoved in our faces 24/7," u/JonnyG24 explained. Other users explained that the annoying tone of the ad and its promotion of a drug that discomfited them helped formulate their dislike.
As for Deanna Colón, she's always tried to maintain a positive point of view about her commercial character. "She's living her best life," she told The Washington Post in October 2023. While noting the hate she's gotten for the commercial, she declared, "Nobody happy with their lives is saying the things they say to me online [...] We're focused on how people look instead of how people make other people feel. And that bothers me." Colón also noted that the nastiness she receives is just a tiny microcosm of what generalized fat hate that millions endure looks like. Hopefully, the ad will be just one stepping stone on the way to even more interesting things for Colón.