Shame on You, DirecTV! Shame on You!
What was DirecTV thinking?
I was watching the Yankees/Angels ALCS game on Fox last night…and was shocked by a commercial that I saw. 
The ad is for DirecTV. It shows the actor David Spade…and, the late comic actor Chris Farley. Chris Farley, as you may know, was an alcohol- and drug-abusive man-child, whose addictions led to his death at age 33.
The commercial showed Chris Farley at his stereotypical worst. With the help of modern technology, an archival clip of an obviously intoxicated Farley was mixed with a current version of David Spade. Somehow, this was supposed to convince me to buy DirecTV.
What a terrible message from from DirecTV.
The commercial glorified and mocked the very abuses that killed Chris Farley. And, it portrayed Farley’s intoxicated state as something fun and goofy. The message to kids watching last night’s game: “Hey, look at me! It’s pretty fun to get all f*cked up!”
As a journalist in Chicago in 1997, I covered Chris Farley’s drug-induced death. I was outside his home at the John Hancock Center when his body was taken from the building. I’ve seen the photos of Chris Farley’s body from inside his apartment. Google them. Serious, Google them and take a look. You’ll see that he died a horrible, horrible death.
Is this the lifestyle and behavior DirecTV wants to promote in its advertising? I don’t think so.
A friend of mine defended the ad…comparing it to ads featuring old clips of the late actor Humphrey Bogart. With all due respect to my friend…sorry, this is apples and oranges. The Bogie ads were cool and dignified, showing a dashing movie star from days gone by. The DirecTV Farley glorifies the very drug and alcohol excesses that killed Farley.
DirecTV should pull those ads…now! They should not air again…especially in a program with a large audience of kids.
What was DirecTV thinking?
Shame on you, DirecTV! Shame on you!
(Steve’s note: The above photo is not from the commercial. It shows Chris Farley and David Spade in happier times: Before Farley died his horrible death…bruised, with vomit coming out his mouth.)