Like a teenager in trouble, it looks like Bruce Springsteen had to give up his Jeep-driving privileges. After news broke earlier today that Springsteen was arrested for “reckless driving, consuming alcohol in a closed area, and driving while intoxicated†in November, Springsteen’s Super Bowl ad with Jeep is off YouTube, as InsideHook reported. (It’s still on Springsteen’s Instagram.) The ad, Springsteen’s first in his decades-long career, found the rocker driving (a Jeep) out in the middle of the continental U.S. and preaching about uniting a divided country. It already caught controversy among some Springsteen fans, who found it incongruous with the singer-songwriter’s often loud progressive politics — and, of course, the optics of someone facing a DWI charge driving one of your cars aren’t too great. Neither Jeep nor Springsteen has commented on the removal, and it’s unclear if the ad is no longer running in front of other YouTube videos; Springsteen will have a court appearance for the charges in a few weeks. But longtime Lincoln spokesperson Matthew McConaughey has commented, reminding us that he can still drive his partner brand’s cars.
Update, 5:45 p.m.: Jeep clarified that it did remove Springsteen’s ad due to his recent DWI charge. “It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of a matter we have only read about and we cannot substantiate,†the company said in a statement to Pitchfork. “But it’s also right that we pause our Big Game commercial until the actual facts can be established. Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned.â€