Who Plays The Singer With The Red Hat In The Verizon Christmas Carol Commercial?
It's that time of year when companies start busting out their holiday-inspired commercials. That includes Verizon, which hopes people give the gift of new technology. At the center of their ad is a woman in a red hat leading a group of Christmas carolers. She's a prominent figure in the commercial's cast and is played by Kimmy Shields, whom you might recognize for her work on Netflix's "Insatiable" and the sci-fi drama "Ad Astra."
Shields has appeared in several TV series and films since 2010. She's had brief roles on "The Middle" and "Big Little Lies," but broke out in a big way playing Nonnie on "Insatiable," one of many Netflix shows you shouldn't let your parents catch you watching. She plays the best friend to Patty (Debby Ryan), who often gets caught up in her misadventures while coming to terms with her sexuality. More recently, she had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role in "Scream VI" as a paramedic; however, she's uncredited.
Even though Shields doesn't get to show off her singing voice in every project she's in, she can carry a tune. She spoke to Voyage LA Magazine about her musical background: "I grew up performing on the stage and came to love it so much that I received my BFA in Musical Theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, graduating in 2014."
The Verizon Christmas carol commercial has earned the ire of audiences
Christmas carolers are typically the bane of homeowners' existence — at least, that's how they're typically portrayed in media. That is the case here, as the Verizon ad also focuses on a man who hired the carolers to convince his partner to get him a new iPhone for Christmas. The singing gets on many people's nerves, as the YouTube comment section is filled with diatribes such as this from @luke3045, "[It's] commercials like these that make me [appreciate] many things ... Like the mute and skip button. [S]witching away from Verizon. [A]nd more importantly, not the only one that thinks these commercials should live in the dustbin of internet irrelevancy where it belongs."
Every so often, a commercial earns a good deal of online hate. Before the Verizon Christmas caroler ad, a commercial for Jardiance was so heavily criticized that a Jardiance Lady Challenge was formed on Reddit to combat the negativity. Perhaps this Verizon ad will have a similar fate and get to the point where some people appreciate it during the holidays.
No matter what, the commercial makes for a good showcase of Kimmy Shields' talents, both as a singer and a comedic actor. In addition to leading the carolers, she demonstrates some humorous facial expressions. Throughout her career, she's done a bit of everything, which she considers a major strength of hers, "I think my body of work would suggest that I'm malleable," she told Voyage LA. If the Verizon ad does anything, hopefully, it convinces people to check out the rest of Shields' filmography.