Hims and Hers has been slammed for its Super Bowl commercial that admonished Americans for being obese and shamed the healthcare industry – then promoted its own weight loss drugs.
The 60-second commercial, which was first published on YouTube in late January, is set to rapper Childish Gambino’s hit ‘This is America’.
It shows a parade of overweight Americans and calls out the healthcare system for profiting off people’s ill health.
It then awkwardly promotes the brand’s Ozempic-alternative weight loss drugs that sell for $165-a-month.
The commercial also included disclaimer admitting the drugs haven’t been FDA approved.
The company also offers subscriptions to Wegovy and Ozempic for up to $2,000-a-month.
Viewers blasted the brand’s hypocrisy on X, with one writing: ‘The most anti-America Super Bowl ad? Easily the Hims & Hers spot — pretending to critique the broken food system while pushing sketchy, unapproved Ozempic knockoffs.’
‘You’re part of the system. You’re selling drugs and profiting off of failure!’ to ‘This Hims & Hers commercial is hypocritical as hell,’ another wrote.
Telehealth giant Hims & Hers has ignited a massive controversy with its provocative Super Bowl advertisement , drawing criticism from both viewers and lawmakers
The company was called out for criticizing a healthcare system that profits from weight loss medication while simultaneously selling similar weight loss pill that they claim are designed to address the very problem they’re criticizing
A third user slammed the commercial, commenting: ‘You’re part of the system. You’re selling drugs and profiting off of failure. Tell people to eat low carb and exercise if you’re so against the system … Also zero warning of the drug’s brutal side effects, which I’m pretty sure is an FTC violation.’
The ad even drew criticism from two senators who claim it dangerously downplays potential drug risks.
Democratic Senator Richard Durbin and Republican Senator Roger Marshall have blasted the company, demanding the FDA investigate what they call a ‘misleading’ advertisement.
In a scathing letter to FDA Commissioner Sarah Brenner, the senators accused Hims of promoting an unapproved weight-loss drug without proper safety warnings.
The senators accused the company of neglecting to include a warning except ‘in small, barely legible font’ that its product isn’t FDA approved. Meanwhile, Wegovy spends about 40 seconds spelling out possible side effects, they explained.
‘We recognize the important roles that pharmaceutical compounding and telehealth play in the health care delivery system, helping to ensure access to FDA-approved products and filling a need for more customized treatments,’ the senators wrote.
Democratic Senator Richard Durbin and Republican Senator Roger Marshall have blasted the company, demanding the FDA investigate what they call a ‘misleading’ advertisement
‘However, we believe there should be no disparity in pharmaceutical advertising requirements between regulated entities.’
However, despite the backlash, the company is defending the advertisement, telling ADWEEK: ‘It’s clear that the ad has struck a chord, and people are paying attention.’
‘We’ve called out the system, and now the system is asking that our ad get taken down,’ a Hims & Hers spokesperson told the outlet.
When Hims’ pushed back on the criticism of the commercial, the company’s stock price soared. It jumped jumped 5.1 percent on Friday morning before closing eight per cent up at $42.55 on Friday afternoon, according to MarketSurge.
The company declined to comment on its surging share price.
