Portfolio: T.J. Miller is The Comedic Voice of Modern Advertising (2015)
- Gary Miller
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Editors Note:
It’s interesting to look back and see how online ad campaigns—especially pre-TikTok were already shaping what comedy would become. These weren’t just commercials; they were backdoor pilots, short films, sketches with a brand attached. The line between content and advertising was blurring, and comedians like T.J. Miller were right at the center of it. I had my own taste of that with The Runs: Presented by Tushy Bidet. A branded short that played like a sketch and still got into a film festival. It’s wild how the ad world became a proving ground for comedians, filmmakers, and weird ideas that didn’t quite fit anywhere else. Sometimes, selling a product was just the excuse we needed to make something funny and get paid for it.
Originally Published November 2nd, 2015 on Bestcomedytickets.com written Gary Miller “If you’re going to have to absorb this ad content anyway, then I hope it’s at least really funny.”
— T.J. Miller Comedians T.J. Miller and Thomas Middleditch star in a new campaign for Smirnoff, the latest chapter of their “Exclusively for Everybody” series. This time, the Silicon Valley and Search Party stars take a cross-country road trip to pitch a movie about superhero alter egos, starring, of course, themselves. It’s a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary, loaded with self-parody and improv energy, wrapped up in branded content.
Their 3,098-mile journey to New York Comic Con is packed with meta-commentary, character bits, and two comedians having a blast on someone else’s dime. It’s the kind of campaign that doesn’t try to hide the sell—it embraces it with a wink and a laugh.
Thomas Middleditch, known for The Wolf of Wall Street, Final Girls, and his voice role in Captain Underpants, brings his signature awkward charm. T.J. Miller, of Big Hero 6 and Yogi Bear 3D (yes, really), leans all the way into the absurdity, as always. Most know him as the loud, weed-loving Erlich Bachman on Silicon Valley, but his reach in the ad world might be even more impressive.
In fact, Miller’s become one of the most recognizable voices in advertising. Whether you knew it or not, you’ve probably laughed at him in at least one of the following campaigns:
Lazy Phone – Moto X (2013)
T.J. played a literal smart phone. Dream role? Maybe. He leaned into it like Daniel Day-Lewis with Wi-Fi. As the voice of a lazy smartphone, he delivered deadpan lines and slacker vibes like only T.J. could. This ad helped Moto X stand out in a market of sleek seriousness because who doesn’t want a phone with a little attitude?
Mr. Mucus – Mucinex
You’ve heard the gravelly, vaguely charming voice of Mucinex’s walking phlegm ball and yep, that’s Miller. The guy who described his voice as “a drag queen after a night of chain smoking” turned nasal congestion into comedy. As a sentient blob of mucus who refuses to take a hint, he somehow made boogers relatable. Gross. But funny.
Greg the Genie – Slim Jim (2015)
Slim Jim loves a loud mascot. Following in the footsteps of Macho Man Randy Savage, Miller brought his own flavor, less screaming, more snark. As Greg the Genie, T.J. played an offbeat wish-granter who means well but always adds a twist. He's like a babysitter who lets you eat ice cream for dinner, then teaches you how to gamble. Chaotic good.
And now: Smirnoff
Smirnoff’s latest ad series feels like a culmination of all these roles half character work, half personality parade. T.J. and Thomas are playing themselves, but with that exaggerated polish you only find in commercials or sketch comedy. The ads are slick, but they still let the comedians be comedians.
As brands continue to blur the lines between content and commercial, T.J. Miller stands out as someone who gets the assignment. He’s funny, self-aware, and knows how to play into (and poke fun at) the absurdity of advertising. And if we have to sit through ads, let them at least be as weird and memorable as this.
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