The New Jardiance Commercial Lady Has The Internet Divided (Again)
Just as navigating our nation's hellish healthcare system is a uniquely American experience, so too is the subsequent onslaught of medication advertisements, which have made brands like Dupixent and Skyrizi as big a part of the television landscape as Bud Light and Toyota. They've also become a popular subject of online scrutiny.
For the crime of singing an earworm jingle about a diabetes drug, the Jardiance lady — otherwise known as Deanna Colón — caused a heated debate online, where she was scorned and defended by the masses. The impassioned, at times cruel, response to Colón's performance could be why the company selected a new actress, Rachel Strutt, for the latest Jardiance commercial that dropped in January. That hasn't stopped the Jardiance peanut gallery — increasingly one of the most opinionated subcultures on the internet — from chiming in to share their thoughts on the new commercial star.
Over on Reddit, reviews are polarized, to say the least. "My hate has slightly decreased," wrote u/Georgia_Jay, who was thrilled to see some fresh blood. "I'm going to pretend that the ad producers are in this sub and got the hint finally!" A user on YouTube concurred, writing in the commercial's comments, "Like this one better! Thank God."
Plenty of Colón fans were waiting in the wings to defend the actress. One Youtuber wrote, "Bring back Deana! She is the true Jardiance queen!" Supporters and detractors ping-ponged back and forth under the comments, duking it out over their preferred Jardiance songstress.
The original Jardiance lady implored fans to be nice
The Jardiance marketing brain trust probably didn't intend to start an online war, but the ado over the new actress impelled the erstwhile Jardiance queen herself, Deanna Colón, to speak out on Instagram. "Okay, it is time to address what is happening in the world," the actress began in a video message. "The company has decided to move on to a different person. There are a billion brands in the world who need a vivacious, lovely, dimple-having, singing, dancing, acting Deanna."
In the spirit of the "Jardiance lady challenge" that was meant to curb negative online comments, Colón also implored her followers to be kind to the new actress. "You're gonna see a new, pretty, red-headed lady singing the Jardiance commercial," she said. Colón also added, "But you be nice to this new lady. Don't you send her any hate crap."
Some of the commercial's viewers clearly didn't get the memo. One Redditor, u/FamousOhioAppleHorn, offered a strangely specific critique of the new actress. "Jardiance Lady 2 creeps me out," their post reads. "She has the personality of someone who kidnapped a baby from a hospital & still won't feel bad when caught 20 years later."
The Jardiance lady chronicles may be a heated, niche corner of the internet, but those caught up in the frenzy can agree on one thing: the song still stinks. As one YouTuber put it, "Oh jeez, three more years of this song 8 times a day."