Super Bowl Jesus ads shift focus from culture wars to seeking ‘more’

The Super Bowl Jesus ads that went viral over the past four years are returning for Sunday’s big game with a message that steers clear of hot-button cultural fights.

Instead, the 2026 ad spot for the “He Gets Us” campaign, titled “More,” focuses on the inward struggle to chase “more” amid pressure from social media and society. It invites viewers to consider what Jesus says about true fulfillment and purpose.

In the 60-second ad, which will air during the second half of the game, “More” shows a montage of scenes of people seeking affirmation through material things, thrills and luxurious lifestyles as a voice-over repeats, “You got to learn how to get more pleasure out of this.”

The spot ends by suddenly going quiet, showing a woman walking in nature and enjoying the serenity. Words then appear on the screen: “There’s more to life than more. What if Jesus shows us how to find it?”

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Come Near, the producer behind the campaign, told Fox News Digital the ads are meant to invite viewers to seek the “authentic Jesus” and wrestle with what He has to say “about our doubts and tough questions.”

“We know people today are seeking peace, hope, joy, and love — the very things we believe Jesus has been throughout history and can be the single greatest source of today,” said Dr. Tyler Johnson, Come Near’s chief impact officer.

Johnson said the spot that will play during Sunday’s game is aimed at the daily pressure to get “more,” such as attention, money, success and status, and urges viewers to rethink what they are actually looking for in life. He said Romans 12:1-2 and Matthew 6:24 inspired the theme.

“Jesus doesn’t say wanting comfort, beauty, or security is wrong. But he questions what happens when the pursuit of more becomes the thing that defines us,” Johnson said.

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In past years, “He Gets Us” has gone viral with polarizing ads that drew backlash from both the left and right.

During the 2023 and 2024 Super Bowl games, conservatives objected to ads they viewed as carrying “woke” messages.

One 2024 spot depicted a police officer washing a young Black man’s feet and a protester washing the feet of a woman outside an abortion clinic. It ended with the slogan: “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet.”

The campaign has also faced criticism from the left over the money spent on the ads and over reported ties to the family behind craft retailer Hobby Lobby.

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“What we’ve heard from people is that everyone today is inundated with noise,” Johnson said of the 2026 message shift. “He Gets Us has certainly been recognized for commenting on culture and Come Near is a group of people who are deeply moved to raise the public conversation about Jesus.”

This year they wanted to address the personal concerns they’ve heard from the spiritually curious.

“[W]e were inspired to evolve the campaign by what we heard in listening research and the feedback we received when sharing the ads with people who are spiritually curious and have skepticism: turn the reflection inward,” he said. “We want to create a space where anyone can come as they are, ask hard questions, and explore Jesus without fear of judgment. Our hope is that our neighbors feel seen, heard, known, and loved by what they see from ‘He Gets Us,’ just as Jesus makes us feel seen, heard, known, and loved.”

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Simon Armour, Come Near’s chief creative officer, said the Super Bowl spot is meant to leave viewers with one simple takeaway: “Jesus offers all of us, whoever we are and wherever we are in life, an invitation: there is more to life than chasing more.”

He said the ad intentionally begins with “more” feeling energizing, then shows the pressure and futility of the chase, but Jesus offers a “different way.”

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“More” is part of the campaign’s “Loaded Words” series launched in December. Come Near says its ads will also be broadcast during the Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.

“Each ad in the He Gets Us ‘Loaded Words’ series explores how everyday words loaded with expectations contribute to the ever-present noise in our lives, and how expectations might mean something different if reframed by the person and teachings of Jesus,” the group said.