In-show advertising is as old as late-night itself, but as shows face declining ratings and shrinking budgets, sponsored content (or “brand activations,” as they’re called in marketing circles) has become increasingly common and, at times, more elaborate than ever before. In this recurring feature, we keep tabs on how late-night shows are working to wed commerce with comedy.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’s latest adventure in in-show advertising took a direct cue from an actual ad campaign.
Jimmy Fallon on Monday night debuted the “Amazon Five Star Theater Challenge,” an audience participation segment born out of Amazon’s recently revived holiday ad campaign.
Following his monologue and “12 Days of Christmas Sweaters” giveaway, the host’s toss to commercial was followed immediately by announcer Steve Higgins welcoming viewers back to more Tonight Show, where he introduced the new, Amazon-branded game.
The game apes Amazon’s series of “Five Star Theater” commercials, which feature Benedict Cumberbatch (and Adam Driver before him, a year ago) dramatically reciting actual five-star product reviews that customers have left on the shopping site.
Fallon’s spin? He challenged the studio audience to guess what product he’s reading a review of. Given two choices, the audience entered their guesses via clickers in the hopes of getting at least two of the three questions correct. The grand prize if they manage the feat? An Amazon gift card for everyone, of course.
Amazon debuted its “Five Star Theater” campaign during last year’s holiday season with two-time Academy Award nominee Driver. Cumberbatch fronts the 2025 pool-out, which debuted last month and also has fueled spon-con on recent NFL telecasts and the Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce podcast and A Very Merry Iconic Podcast. The Tonight Show restaged the commercials’ minimalist, sophisticated setup in Studio 6B, putting Fallon in a leather armchair backdropped by a Christmas tree and simple red curtain. Doubling down on the Amazon brand presence, the in-show game was immediately followed by one of Cumberbatch’s “Five Star Theater” commercials.
Fallon is no stranger to reading Amazon reviews as a bit. The Tonight Show has used fictional reviews as a vehicle for jokes several times over the years, in the recurring desk piece “Amazon Reviews.”
All told, the familiar territory, heavy dose of humor, and improvised banter between Fallon and Higgins made “Amazon Five Star Theater” one of late night’s most natural ad integrations in recent memory. Where do you rank it among late-night’s myriad spon-con efforts?
