Bill Maher was not a fan of Nike’s new Super Bowl 2025 commercial, which featured iconic female athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson, Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, and gymnast Jordan Chiles.
On Friday night, he ripped the apparel and shoe giant for their Super Bowl commercial.
“Did you see the Nike commercial that they ran with all the women athletes,” Maher asked.
He then showed a clip from the black-and-white commercial, which was titled “So Win.”
The commercial:
During the minute-long clip, rapper Doechii narrates the doubts and fears coursing through female athletes’ minds before she stresses they should prove critics wrong.
Bill Maher’s reaction to the commercial was to slam the Nike ad as a “zombie lie.”
“This is a phrase I use a lot here: zombie lie,” Maher said.
“It means like something used to be true, and it stopped being true. And then people kept saying it. I feel like this [commercial] is a giant zombie lie.
“[The American people are] not that savvy about politics, but they know when you’re lying. I mean, when was the last time a woman was told, ‘You can’t do this? You can’t be confident?’ Who are these imaginary, mean old men of the patriarchy?”
Show guest Pamela Paul added, “Most of the messages you hear out there are ‘Girl power, you go girl, girl’s code.’ There are messages encouraging young women are so ubiquitous, it begins to sound not only dishonest, but just weird and defensive.
“It’s like, who’s saying this to them? Who are they fighting against? And why does it help girls and women to think of themselves as uniquely embattled and vulnerable?”
Nike Had Major Backlash Regarding A’ja Wilson’s Nike Signature Shoe
Earlier this month, Las Vegas Aces superstar and 2024 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson posted an X video of her reacting to her new Nike signature shoe.
The A’One was revealed in a “Pink Aura” colorway.
Wilson has received a lot of love for these Nike shoes, but she, as well as the apparel and shoe giant company, have received backlash as well.
Caitlin Clark received a lot of backlash after she received an eight-year extension with Nike that included a signature shoe. This was all before she ever stepped foot on a WNBA court.
Wilson did not help matters with her comments over the months. It turns out she knew she had a shoe coming out but never said anything about it.
It’s just a bad look all around for her and the show giant.
