" I love everything about '80s advertising," Reynolds told the outlet. Reynolds also spoke to Business Insider about the ads, revealing that he's been speaking to Kimmel about creating period commercials since 2019's Live in Front of a Studio Audience (which included reenactments of All in the Family and The Jeffersons). RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Burns His 'Hair and Eyebrow Off' While 'Lighting the Oven' for Thanksgiving Dinner
Original MTV VJs Nina Blackwood and Alan Hunter provided voice-overs, as did Reynolds himself and his sister-in-law, Teen Witch star Robyn Lively. To add to the fun, beloved talent from '80s and '90s pop culture were brought on board, like Alfonso Ribeiro ( The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Jennifer Beals ( Flashdance), David Leisure ( Empty Nest) and Bob Vila ( This Old House).
The six ads, which can be seen in the compilation video above, were made for Kraft Heinz brands (Kool-Aid, Heinz ketchup, Kraft Singles, and Oscar Mayer), Jack in the Box, and Reynolds' own Aviation Gin.
#YOUTUBE MAX HEADROOM TV#
"In fact, I almost appeared as Max Headroom," he added, referencing the world's first computer-generated TV personality. "I took a DNA test recently and it turns out 20% of my body is comprised of 1980s nostalgia," Reynolds, 45, told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement on Wednesday. And to contribute to the throwback fun, the show's executive producer Jimmy Kimmel teamed with Reynolds - through Kimmelot and Maximum Effort, their respective production companies - to create a slew of '80s-inspired advertisement integrations to play during commercial breaks on the 90-minute telecast. The ABC special featured stars like Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, and more recreating classic episodes of The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes for a new generation. Ryan Reynolds had a big part to play on Tuesday's Live in Front of a Studio Audience, even if you didn't see him.