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By now, you’ve certainly seen it — Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow for Royal Kingdom, Jennifer Coolidge for Discover, even Reba McEntire for Realtor.com. It seems like every celebrity known to man is starring in random commercials, desperately trying to sell some kind of product or service to the general public.

One could argue that there are varying levels to the randomness. For example, Kevin Hart’s Verizon commercial may feel slightly more elevated and acceptable than, say, LeBron James’ Royal Kingdom ad. (Really, how does one mobile game have such a big marketing budget?) Whether you see the commercials as cringey, amusing, or somewhere in between, it does make one wonder why so many stars are involved.

Celebrities are starring in many more commercials nowadays because they pay well.

It doesn’t take an economist to tell you that the global economy is a mess, and has been for quite some time now. Many people think the rich and famous are able to get around these problems by, well, being rich. But hard times are falling on everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

CNN reported that Dwayne Johnson was the highest-paid actor of 2022. His stats may be telling for the state of Hollywood, though. He made $270 million in 2022, and while some did come from big film releases, the majority was a result of his tequila brand. Even The Rock is not immune to the pitfalls of the entertainment industry.

DFree | Shutterstock

Most people who work in Hollywood aren’t exactly on Johnson’s level. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average actor in California earned $27.73 per hour in 2023, as cited by CNN. And, of course, they aren’t consistently employed with full-time work like a traditional nine-to-five employee is. 

Someone on Reddit asked, “Why are so many A-list celebrities doing commercials in the U.S. now?” One user responded by saying they had a friend who used to work for a giant TV production company. “He told me once that people would be shocked [by] how many of their favorite celebrities are one paycheck away from living on the streets,” they said. That’s because it costs a lot to be rich and maintain that level of celebrity.

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Everyone is looking for some extra cash these days, but is advertising different products really an effective way for celebrities to make it?

Well, it must be bringing in some money, or they likely wouldn’t give it a second thought. Seriously, who actually thinks Jimmy Fallon sits around in his free time playing Royal Kingdom? (And once again, how do they have the money to pay all of these people? I digress.) Whether or not it’s effective for the actual company they’re working with is another matter.

Cognitive scientist Alan Jern, PhD, referenced the results of a 2022 study in which researchers sought to discover if having a celebrity advertise snacks was more effective than having a regular Joe do it. “The researchers found that participants were more likely to choose the snacks endorsed by the celebrities than the non-celebrities,” Jern said. “This basic idea is that a celebrity selling a product increases the chances the viewer will ultimately buy that product.”

So, it appears that hiring a celebrity to advertise your product does make a difference. People trust those they know, and they feel like they know Kaley Cuoco better than a stranger. (Even though she is, in fact, a stranger.) If she says the product or service is good, then it must be worth trying.

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Celebrities starring in random commercials seem like the perfect marriage for both the star and the brand.

The celebrity gets to reap the monetary rewards of telling people to use, buy, or do something. There’s no way to know if they feel like they’re shilling or not, but they’ve got to pay the bills and cover their expensive lifestyle somehow.

cottonbro studio | Pexels

At the same time, the brand involved in the advertisement gets excellent publicity and name recognition for its product. Take Royal Kingdom, for example. If Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, LeBron James, AND Jimmy Fallon all love it, then it must be worth a try. With how this situation works so perfectly for both the stars and the brands, it’s not likely that we’ll see an end to it anytime soon.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.