This Julia Louis-Dreyfus commercial is causing a lot of problems.
The spot for Israel's satellite television provider Yes features the "Veep" actress accidentally calling her overweight coworker (who's seen eating chips in an elevator) pregnant, rubbing her stomach in excitement and presuming it's a girl.
In the Louis-Dreyfus commercial, the actress lies about having eye surgery, calls another coworker by the wrong name and pins the pregnant "rumor" on a non-English-speaking cleaning woman before finally apologizing.
"I would like to apologize to Betty for thinking that she was pregnant," Louis-Dreyfus says in the commercial. "Obviously, she hasn't dated anyone forever and uh, yeah, you need a man to ... uh ... so, um ... I'm sorry!"
Yes, which holds broadcast rights to HBO shows including "Veep," pulled the Louis-Dreyfus commercial from airwaves and from its YouTube account, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The McCann Erickson-produced commercial led to a formal complaint from Israel's Yedid Association for Community Empowerment, which read (via THR): "There are a lot of weight-challenged individuals in Israel who are treated in an irreverent and hurtful manner. There is no justification to illustrate a stigma which suggests a larger woman is either pregnant or simply too fat for anyone to consider going out with."
In a statement, Yes apologized and claimed, according to The Jerusalem Post, that "this is a humorous advert based on the style for which the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is known. The message of the advert is how to deal with mistakes, and if there is someone presented in a ridiculous light, then it is Julia -- who makes the mistake [in the advert]. There was never any intention to upset the public in any way, and if someone feels personally offended, we apologize for that."
Yes has previously aired HBO promotional spots featuring "Boardwalk Empire" star Steve Buscemi and TV mob boss James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos." Watch the latter below:
UPDATE: A representative for Yes has issued the following statement to The Huffington Post:
Yes DBS Satellite Services broadcast this successful campaign with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which topped the list of most memorable commercials in Israel and charted as one of the most well-liked commercials during the weeks it ran. The commercial recently finished its broadcasting cycle per the original marketing plan. It was never pulled, nor asked to be pulled by Yes or the regulator.
