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.
Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo Rodriguez stepped into a workplace sketch as part of an in-show ad for Kit Kat candy bars on Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
JKL returned from break after Kimmel’s interview with Rob Lowe to find the host and sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez in the middle of an office set. Rodriguez had swapped his security guard uniform for a business suit and was in the middle of a comically unconvincing phone call when his boss entered.
“What? Really? No way. Wow,” Rodriguez is heard saying as Kimmel enters, asking for “the work reports I asked for.”
“Baby, I’ll call you back. My stupid, cheap boss is here,” Rodriguez says as he hangs up the phone.
“You were supposed to have them on my desk last week,” Kimmel complains.
Stalling for an answer, Rodriguez reaches for a Kit Kat, prompting four men in brown suits known as the Break Squad to step in between Kimmel and his employee.
“He’s on a crispy, creamy Kit Kat break,” the men tell Kimmel. “No multitasking. No interruptions. Just pure, chocolatey pause.”
The Break Squad goes on to reveal they’ve done Rodriguez’s reports for him, leaving Kimmel impressed enough to ask for his own piece of Kit Kat from Rodriguez. “See guys?” Rodriguez remarks. “I told you he was cheap.”
“Have a break, have a Kit Kat,” Lou Wilson announced to close out the sketch as JKL went to commercial.
Hershey—the stateside producer of Kit Kat—first debuted the Break Squad this past April. Originally called the “Break Brothers,” the characters were seen in a TV spot during the NCAA Men’s Championship Game, kicking off a long-term ad campaign across all media. The ads typically follow the same formula: the Break Brothers step in to protect someone looking for a little downtime, telling the interrupting boss or parent that they’re “on a crispy, creamy Kit Kat break,” then step in to do the chores themselves.
Sponsored comedy bits have become a common part of Kimmel’s ABC show, with one typically running between the night’s two guest interviews at least once every few weeks. In-studio sketches with full sets are less common. JKL has only gone that route a few times this year—most recently for Venmo in June.
