Following the fallout from his DWI arrest back in 2020, Jeep has now officially pulled its ad starring Bruce Springsteen just days after its Super Bowl premiere. Debuting to massive success and acclaim from social media, in the days following it was revealed Springsteen had been arrested for driving while intoxicated last November.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate,” a spokesperson for Jeep said, per Rolling Stone. “But it’s also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual facts can be established. Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned.”
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The ad, which was created with Springsteen’s team, follows Springsteen as he travels through Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado with a message meant to unify the nation after what some are calling a divisive four years. “Fear has never been the best of who we are,” he said in the spot. “We just have to remember the very soil we stand on is common ground. So we can get there. We can make it to the mountaintop, through the desert …and we will cross this divide.” It’s no longer available for viewing on YouTube.
The outlet reports Springsteen was arrested in Gateway National Recreation Area on the New Jersey Coast on November 14. A spokesperson for the National Parks Service told Rolling Stone the “Born to Run” singer was “cooperative throughout the process.” He’s charged with DWI, reckless driving, and consuming alcohol in a closed area. Springsteen’s rep declined to comment. Asbury Park Press reported his alcohol content level was at 0.02, which is the equivalent of one drink and one-fourth of New Jersey’s legal limit. According to the New York Times, because the arrest went down in a National Park, federal prosecutors will take on the case. The ad came to fruition after a ten-year pursuit from Jeep to secure the star, says the Times.
Most recently before the ad-fiasco, Springsteen was receiving praise for his recent musical performance on Saturday Night Live last month. The 71-year-old musician let his fans know he’s still got it as he performed his new song “Ghosts” from his recent album, Letter to You with the E. Street Band. “There is nobody better than Bruce Springsteen and the E St. band they just get better and better with every year that passes,” a viewer said of the show on Twitter.
