Jeremy Allen White is making waves in 2024 as the new face of Calvin Klein’s underwear campaign. The 32-year-old star of “The Bear” is featured in a series of photos and videos for the brand’s spring campaign, shot by photographer Mert Alas. In the campaign, White, a New Yorker, is seen on a rooftop, clad in both black and white briefs.
The campaign includes a video with the actor emerging from a building, stripping down to his underwear, and doing pull-ups. Set to Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me,” the video concludes with White striking poses against a cityscape and landing on an orange couch as pigeons are released.
White, surprised to be chosen, expressed his admiration for Calvin Klein’s advertising history to GQ, noting they often feature interesting personalities. He credited his physique to his role as a pro wrestler in “The Iron Claw,” which involved performing in front of large audiences in minimal clothing. Despite a recent illness, White managed a last-minute workout before the shoot.
The actor, whose fame skyrocketed with his role in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” is currently in New York City with singer Rosalía, his new girlfriend. He is also expected in Los Angeles for the Golden Globes, nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy.
Calvin Klein is renowned for its provocative campaigns. In the 1980s, 15-year-old Brooke Shields stirred controversy in a jeans ad for the brand. Mark Wahlberg, then known as Marky Mark, became an underwear model for Calvin Klein in 1992, posing with Kate Moss in a contentious shoot.
Moss continued her work with Calvin Klein, becoming the face of the Obsession perfume line. Her ads, often featuring nudes, led to the coining of the term “heroin chic,” and she faced allegations of promoting unhealthy body images and drug use.
In 1995, a Calvin Klein jeans campaign with teenage models, including Bijou Phillips, was withdrawn after comparisons to child pornography and a subsequent Justice Department investigation.
Michael Bergin succeeded Wahlberg as the face of the brand’s underwear line, appearing in campaigns with Moss. Antonio Sabato Jr. also represented Calvin Klein in the late ’90s, featuring on a massive billboard in Times Square.
Eva Mendes became a Calvin Klein model in the 2000s, posing for both underwear and the Secret Obsession perfume campaign. Her ads, including one with her and a male model in bed, were criticized by New Yorkers.
Justin Bieber took on the role in the 2010s, with ads that garnered significant attention and parodies. He later appeared in a campaign with Kendall Jenner.
The brand celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 with Bieber and his wife Hailey. The Kardashian-Jenner sisters, including Kendall, posed for Calvin Klein in both jeans and underwear campaigns in 2018.
Zoë Kravitz and her mother Lisa Bonet modeled for Calvin Klein’s watches and jewelry line in 2016, with Zoë also modeling underwear.
Before White, Michael B. Jordan was the face of Calvin Klein in 2023. Now, White joins these notable figures and will be featured on the brand’s famous billboard in lower Manhattan.
