Why Is The Singer On The Jardiance Commercial So Controversial?

Deanna Colón, whom you might recognize from the commercials for the diabetes drug Jardiance, has the same peppy personality as Flo from Progressive (Stephanie Courtney), but there are some key differences between the two. For one thing, Colón's character never gets a name. She also breaks into song, and some television watchers have grown tired of hearing the story she has to tell.

Charming consumers in a commercial is no easy task, especially if singing is involved. Because commercials are repetitive and the songs in them are designed to be catchy, viewers might find themselves infected with earworms that they can't get out of their heads. They then associate this annoying phenomenon with the actor who was hired to cheerfully chirp about lowering her A1C. But companies will sometimes find themselves with a hit on their hands; the internet is so nostalgic about those Education Connection commercials that Tove Lo has jokingly taken credit for them. (Andreanna Veith is their real star.)

Unfortunately for Colón, many people don't find her pitch for a prescription drug endearing — there's even a Facebook group called "People that hate the Jardiance commercial" that's over 1,000 members strong. So, is there just something about Colón's perky musical number that grates on her haters' nerves? Or do they detest watching her get a makeover while a voiceover warns about the possibility of contracting a deadly bacterial infection? In some cases, yes. However, there are other reasons viewers can't stand the singer. 

In the Facebook group populated by the Jardiance ad's most hardcore haters, some critics have resorted to cruelly body-shaming Deanna Colón. "You really get how hated and despised overweight people are if you check out the comments under my Jardiance video," she told The Washington Post. Others have complained about Colón's social media content and her clapbacks at her critics. One member of the group shared an example of the latter that read, "You sound like a loser — an out of work actor." However, on X, formerly known as Twitter, Colón explained that this was a response to someone bullying her. She's also active on TikTok, where she promotes body positivity by rocking a bikini in one video. A hater shared the video with the Facebook group. "Yikes! She has too much self-esteem," read one reaction.

Colón's critics celebrated when Jardiance started airing ads featuring a new actor named Rachel Strutt. Meanwhile, Colón was quote-tweeting messages from people expressing their disappointment over her replacement. While the cruelty of trolls often gets amplified on the internet, there are also loads of supportive social media users out there who appreciate raw talent (even when it's being used to promote Big Pharma). In response to one fan who asked her why there's a new face singing the song she made famous, Colón wrote, "Dunno buddy. Time for change?" She also revealed that she's been auditioning for Broadway roles.

In a 2024 interview with John Conenna, Deanna Colón said that she doesn't just get recognized for the Jardiance commercial but also for her cooking content on TikTok, where she has more than 300,000 followers. Her talent in the kitchen earned her a spot on "MasterChef" in 2019, and before that, she made it to the quarterfinals on Season 8 of "America's Got Talent." Colón is a songwriter, as well; she's one of the co-writers of the hit dance track "Higher," and her work has been featured on "The Hills," "Lipstick Jungle," and in the Lindsay Lohan movie "Labor Pains." When she's not busy making music, acting, or creating TikTok content, she teaches singing lessons and films Cameo videos to fund her noble rescue dog habit. According to The Washington Post, Colón's good pal Perez Hilton encouraged her to join that platform.

Of the many hats she wears, Colón told Conenna, "I'm not doing it if it doesn't bring me joy." She's a hard worker who is always reaching for the stars, and she's ready to conquer one of the only entertainment industry domains where she hasn't yet found success; her dream job is hosting a talk show. "Kelly Clarkson I think has my life," she quipped. However, she would like to sing and cook on her hypothetical talk show. "That is what I am manifesting and working on for this year," she shared.