Nelly’s new album, Brass Knuckles, isn’t the only thing he’s dropping this fall. Cornell Haynes Jr. recently signed on to model for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ new line of Sean John underwear. Of course, he isn’t the first celeb to drop trou. Here’s a look at which undie ads paid off and which ones didn’t.
Mark Wahlberg for Calvin Klein—A billboard with Marky Mark gripping his Funky Bunch might be the most memorable underwear ad ever. Since then, Mark’s gone serious—adding a last name and earning an Oscar nomination for The Departed.
Cuba Gooding Jr. for Hanes—Before Cuba Gooding’s ads ran, he was an Oscar-winning actor best known for his parts in A Few Good Men and Jerry Maguire. After Hanes showed him the money, he did back-to-back Razzie-nominated movies Norbit and Daddy Day Camp.
Jennifer Love Hewitt for Hanes—Compared to other recent work, this underwear commercial was Hewitt’s most compelling performance.
David Beckham for Armani—Becks supplemented his hefty L.A. Galaxy contract with a set of scandalous Armani ads. Talk about exposure in the States.
Eva Mendes for Calvin Klein—Mendes landed a super-sexy underwear contract to match her network-banned perfume commercials.
Michael Jordan for Hanes—M.J.’s ads don’t even show him wearing underwear. All he has to do is hold them up and remind people he’s the greatest athlete of all time. Now that’s how you do an underwear ad.
