Why Were The Actors Not Allowed To Drink In The Bud Light Super Bowl Ad?
Post Malone and Shane Gillis know there's nothing better than kicking back in a driveway with an ice-cold Bud Light — except actually being able to drink it. In Bud Light's new Super Bowl teaser, "Driveway," the two count down the seconds until the commercial ends and they can finally take a sip. Because, as strange as it sounds, actually drinking a beer in a beer ad? Not allowed.
The teaser plays up this oddly specific industry rule, turning it into a joke that is only possible in a Super Bowl ad. The whole setup is classic Bud Light — low stakes, high relatability, and just self-aware enough to make you do a double-take. Did they really just build an entire ad around not drinking the beer? Yes. Yes, they did. And it works.
In the full commercial, "Big Men on Cul-De-Sac," Malone and Gillis are the ultimate party-starters, appearing to a neighbor in need with a grill full of steaks, leaf blowers as rocket launchers, and an extra-long cooler of Bud Light tailing behind a riding lawn mower. A small gathering turns into a full-blown lawn party with the help of witty one-liners and plenty of Bud Light — that no one actually drinks. It's an easy bit, but one that highlights a long-standing quirk in beer advertising. Because, really — why can't actors drink beer in beer commercials?
Why can't actors drink in beer ads?
It's a rule that feels almost designed to be broken: A product built around drinking, marketed through ads where no one actually drinks it. But it's not some bizarre oversight. This unwritten rule has shaped beer advertising for decades, setting it apart from liquor brands, which freely show actors sipping whiskey or clinking cocktails.
The reasoning is simple: Industry self-regulation. The Beer Institute, a trade group representing major U.S. beer companies, enforces advertising guidelines that emphasize "responsible drinking." The concern is that showing an actor taking a sip could imply excessive consumption, so brands sidestep the issue entirely. Instead, beer ads rely on visual cues — the sweaty condensation on a can, the exaggerated "ahh" after someone pops open a bottle, the universally understood joy of a group cheers — to sell the experience without crossing the line.
It's not a federal law — no government agency is cracking down on actors drinking beer on camera. But with Super Bowl ads under more scrutiny than almost any other form of advertising, brands are especially careful not to cross the line. Meanwhile, liquor brands follow their own standards and don't abide by this hard-and-fast no-sip policy.
That's why Bud Light's "Driveway" teaser works — it leans into the rule, turning what could be an arbitrary restriction into the punchline. So while actors in beer commercials can toast, pose, and stare at their drinks with longing, actually drinking? That's still off-limits — even in the best Super Bowl beer commercials. But as Bud Light proves, sometimes the best way to play by the rules is to make a joke out of them.