While Terry Crews is loved by many for his memorable comedy roles in shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and action performances in films like The Expendables 2, fans were not very pleased to see him pop up in an Amazon ad promoting the company as an ideal employer for those currently seeking work. The retail giant is the world’s biggest online shopping destination and was founded by billionaire and space tourist Jeff Bezos.
Political commentator Hasan Piker, who has been critical of Amazon’s practices as an employer, even retweeted the video, writing “this is deranged man.”
It’s somewhat surprising that Crews would appear in the ad after co-starring in the surreal black comedy Sorry to Bother You, which was arguably satirical of companies like Amazon for their productivity standards, which some would say leads to unfair conditions for its workers.
The reported Amazon employee complaints, which have been covered in multiple news outlets over the years, include having too few bathroom breaks (which are timed), having to adhere to excessive productivity goals, an unsafe working environment, and problems only being exacerbated by the pandemic, according to Forbes.
In the ad, Crews “explores” one of the company’s warehouses, becoming convinced along the way of Amazon’s many perks. The ad concludes with him extolling the supposed virtues of the company as an employer, including that it offers benefits, paid tuition, and flexible hours.
A simple barf emoji sums up many people’s reactions to the video.
Another interesting take on the video came from The Nation’s Justice Correspondent Elie Mystal, who said the video is “Terry Crews cosplaying as a poor person to do an ad for union busting. He’s basically John Cena’s character from Suicide Squad now.”
Unsurprisingly, some pointed to Crews’ character as the brand-toting President Camacho from Idiocracy as resembling the actor now more than ever.
Others simply got a chuckle out of the idea of the muscle-bound actor known in the past for being a beacon of non-toxic masculinity slinging Amazon packages around in a warehouse moments after arriving.
What do you think about Terry Crews’ endorsement of Amazon? Leave it in the comments below.
