Published Feb 6, 2026, 3:30 PM EST
Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends.
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Andy Samberg is finally making his Super Bowl 2026 debut thanks to Hellmann's and Best Foods, and it's an opportunity that also revives a fan-favorite talent of his.
Samberg first broke out with his seven-year tenure on Saturday Night Live, where he landed seven of his thus-far 10 Primetime Emmy nominations, and won his very nod for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for his group The Lonely Island's 2009 track "Dick in a Box." Since moving on from the iconic sketch series, Samberg has found further success on both the big and small screens, including leading the police workplace comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine to the time loop comedy Palm Springs, the former of which won him a Golden Globe while the latter netted him two subsequent nominations.
Now, Samberg is teaming up with Hellmann's and Best Foods for their Super Bowl 2026 ad, "Sweet Sandwich Time," his first-ever commercial for the NFL championship game that's well-known for its range of comedic and star-studded ads. The Emmy winner stars in the ad as Meal Diamond, a parody of iconic singer Neil Diamond, who was born and raised in a deli and who spreads joy with his music, a humorous twist on "Sweet Caroline," and Hellmann's' iconic brand of mayonnaise.
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Ahead of its debut in the big game, ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns interviewed Andy Samberg to discuss his Hellmann's and Best Foods Super Bowl ad. When asked about why the brand was the perfect one to partner with for his NFL championship debut, the Emmy winner began by saying he "loved the idea of dressing up like Neil Diamond and turning it into sort of a bizarro world" version of the iconic musician.
He went on to explain that he had been "avoiding doing" any kind of Super Bowl ad "for a while" prior to the "Sweet Sandwich Time" pitch, as he loves the platform the game brings, but that "I wanted to make sure when I did that I found it funny." Praising the Hellmann's and Best Foods ad as one with "real potential" to become a hilarious hit, the SNL alum further shared that the brand were "really collaborative" with him on the comedy and rhythm of the commercial, namely by "letting me get my hands on the lyrics" and the overall feel of it:
Andy Samberg: Once we started talking about it all, I sort of started veering it towards this character, this Meal Diamond that they wanted it to be, but adding elements to his backstory, and that he is a person who was born inside of a deli, and perhaps has never left. He's almost like the Bruno for Encanto of mayonnaise and sandwiches. So, once that sort of started taking shape, I got really excited, and we took it from there.
Part Of Samberg's Motivation Behind His Super Bowl Debut Was His Love For Neil Diamond
ScreenRant: So you talk about the lyrics, by the way, and that was one thing I'm curious about. Obviously, we just mentioned Popstar. I'm a big Lonely Island fan in general, but what was it like really finding that rhythm, especially since this is even shorter than a Digital Short that you have to work with?
Andy Samberg: Yeah, this was like the Digital Shorts I made in my last season when I was burnt out, length-wise. [Laughs] And they got shorter and shorter as we went, I was like, "I think people will be happy with 90 seconds, don't you?" But I also knew we had a shorthand, which was everyone knows and loves the song, and it was more Weird Al-ing it than it was making something completely original from scratch, where you had to educate people about it musically. So, I knew that that would be an advantage. And then, the 30-second [ad] I knew would be a different build than the 60-second, and that you could have more of an arc to it in the 60-second, and that people could see that online. I got really excited about that version. I didn't officially say it was a go until I had played around with it a little bit. I wanted to make sure we didn't get stuck in a place where I didn't think it was working, but when we started doing the pull-ups in the 30, it still flowed musically, and I still thought it had enough of a story to land basically.
ScreenRant: So, you talk about Meal Diamond's look, and again, I love that it feels like a classic throwback to the actual Neil, but at the same time has little tweaks to it. So, talk to me about working with costume, with hair and makeup to really find this unique sort of, not necessarily parody, but at the same time, sort of send-up of Neil.
Andy Samberg: Yeah, I really keep saying this, it's not him, it's someone obsessed with him maybe, but you're not sure why and how. [Laughs] But yeah, a huge part of me wanting to do this was my love for Neil Diamond, and for the song, and for how dope his look was in the '70s. I love that look. When I was watching old footage of him performing this song, I was just like, "Man, Neil Diamond was rocking it." The flowing mane, and the eyebrows, he's so in it and cool. And the outfits were just only in that moment in time is that what was being worn. It's so specific and cool and crazy. I was just like, "Yeah, I could sink into that." That's such a good jumping off point because, just visually, as soon as you look at it, you're happy.
ScreenRant: You talk about looking at old footage, by the way, and that was one thing I was curious about is how much of that physicality that you show as you're rocking out in this ad is you versus how much is maybe, again, pulling from the real Neil?
Andy Samberg: I think the physicality is much more me. I think he's a lot more understated, and the physicality and the look of the eyes, and obviously the lyrics is where you get a severe distinction. Neil Diamond is a laid-back cool dude. He doesn't have a lot of push to him, so that's why there's such this very clear line to me that this is a character and not an impression. You know what I mean? But yeah, I also knew that would be the fun of it, as being a little bit frenetic and bounding about.
ScreenRant: Well, and what a place you get to bound about in Cantor's Deli. As someone who grew up in SoCal, I immediately clocked it as, "Oh, that's an iconic place to be." How did it feel to really not only get to embody this ad, but do it in such an iconic sandwich location?
Andy Samberg: Yeah, I love Canter's, and I'm very familiar with it. Before we got SNL, me and Akiva lived on Genesee, just like two blocks below Melrose. So, we would go to Canter's all the time, and it would be our, you know, you go out to bars, and then you're like, "We got to eat." We'd be like, "Let's go to Canter's. Let's swing by Kibitz Room." So, I have a lot of affection for that place, and I've been there a ton, and it's so cool looking inside. When Tom Kuntz, the director, told me that that's what he was scouting, I was like, "Oh my God, do it there. We got to do it at Canter's." [Chuckles] It felt very home vibes for me to do it there. So yeah, it was awesome. It felt great, and it indeed looked fantastic. They also have that incredible ceiling in the other room, but we were in the room next to Kibitz Room instead, the sort of center room. So we didn't end up utilizing the crazy ceiling in the other room, but generally speaking, it was awesome. It's so spacious. I love it over there on Fairfax. There are so many cool spots there now. But yeah, I used to live over there when Largo was still there. We'd walk over from our apartment and go see John Bryan's show on Fridays. It's incredible.
ScreenRant: What a full circle event for you, then, to come back and get to film for this there. So I did want to ask, we're here for a sandwich-adjacent product, and you talk about filming in Canter's and how much you loved it. Would you call that your favorite sandwich shop in the country?
Andy Samberg: Canter's? No. [Laughs] I love Canter's, make no mistake. But I mean if we're even talking about my favorite deli sandwich in LA, I would probably start with Langer's. I think you've got to go Langer's. And then if we're going over to New York, there's Katz and 2nd Avenue, and all kinds of other spots in Brooklyn. I think Canter's is great, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to be on the record [calling it the best]. [Laughs]
ScreenRant: Now, another thing I love about this ad is we get a surprise little pop-up from Elle Fanning, and obviously I've only seen the 30-second, so it's a real quick pop-up, but I'm curious if you're allowed to share if she's got a little bigger role in that 60-second that you get to play with her.
Andy Samberg: It's actually a pretty similar amount. There's a different tag in the 60, but yeah, there's the one pop in the middle where I visit her booth, and then the tag is sort of what there was space for. But man, bless her heart, she's so good and just came and hung out for a couple of hours and was delightful. She's newly nominated for an Oscar, and she's having the craziest best year ever. She's in all these cool movies, in that Predator movie, which was so awesome. I've been a big fan of hers for a while. I love that show The Great, and a bunch of other stuff she's done. So it was really cool for me to get to meet her and have her be in it, classed up the joint.
ScreenRant: So actually I am curious, did she try to pitch any extra bits to do for her appearance when you were working together?
Andy Samberg: A little bit. We had a ton of alts written out to try to make sure we had her moments well covered to experiment with things and edit. I think she was just kind of rolling with it, and we were like, "What would you say?" And she was like, "Maybe this." And we were like, "Great, do it." I would love to work with her again where we actually get to do some scenes and act and talk and that sort of thing. Because this was locked into a song format, it was already the moments that were available and inside of the timeline that you have to fit for an ad made it a little more like, "How fast can you say these lines?"
ScreenRant: I feel like your style of comedy would be so interesting to see her play in, since we haven't really seen that from her.
Andy Samberg: Yeah, agreed. And I know that she has great comedy instincts, because The Great is so funny. I mean, it's Tony McNamara, so it's going to be funny. But her and Nick Holt on that show were just spectacular, and really funny.
ScreenRant: Before I let you go, I love Digman!. I feel like we haven't heard any season 3 updates. I know Paramount's going through a lot right now. Are there any hopeful rumblings about making the next season happen?
Andy Samberg: We don't know officially, but it's not dead. It's still being discussed. And I love that show. I make it with Neil Campbell, and the writers we've had are so incredibly funny. That's a show where I know we've done really well by Comedy Central standards. I think they've been really happy with it, but it's something that I'm just always like, "I just wish everyone could see it." I'm so proud of it, and I laugh so hard making it and watching it. It really just feels like I am always personally searching for things that are joke dense, and really just exist to try and make me laugh. I feel like that's the mission statement with Digman!. So I hope we get to make more.
Samberg's Hellmann's and Best Foods Super Bowl ad is available to watch now online and can be seen during Super Bowl LX, which kicks off at 6:30 EST on Sunday!
Location New Orleans, Louisiana
Network FOX
Dates 2025-02-09
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States, typically held in early February. It’s one of the most watched sporting events worldwide, known for its high-stakes competition, halftime shows, and popular, often expensive commercials.
English (US) ·