‘Trash and Theft’ — Entourage creator rips Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier’s reunion ad
Entourage creator Doug Ellin has had a pop at Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier’s surprise reunion, laying into their new ad on X.
Right, if you thought you'd seen the last of Entourage after the slightly limp 2015 film, think again. Turns out that Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier have quietly staged a rather unexpected reunion – not for HBO, but for a commercial flogging Jake Paul's betting app. No, you haven't entered some bizarre simulation, it's genuinely that weird.
Creator not happy
Doug Ellin, who actually created Entourage and spent years making it a thing, was absolutely seething about this little off-brand revival. If you missed the online drama, Ellin saw the advert – which features Piven and Grenier dusting off their old Ari Gold and Vinny Chase impressions – and proceeded to tear strips off the lot of them on social media. The phrase 'trash and theft' was his main refrain. Honestly, it's hard to blame him – it's a bit like finding your child turned into a knock-off action figure in a discount shop.
Doug Ellin didn't hold back on X, writing: 'I have zero positivity in watching things I busted my ass off on for years be turned into garbage. Go create your own shit. And if you need money... Flip burgers. This is trash and theft. Period.'
Ellin made it very clear he had nothing to do with the ad's creation, or, judging by his tone, its existence. He also popped up on Instagram to double down, having a go at the quality and singling out Piven directly in a video rant. Basically, if the ad's producers were hoping for the blessing of the guy who built the show, they're fresh out of luck.
The ad itself
The Betr commercial is, well, just as surreal as you'd expect. It kicks off with Piven-as-Ari Gold striding through some over-the-top mansion party, schmoozing with Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball, before meeting Jake Paul himself. Soon enough, he bumps into Grenier's Vinny, who's lounging on a yacht (as you do), and pitches him the Betr deal. The money line is Piven telling Paul's co-creator: 'We're in baby. You're gonna have to pay us.' Fair warning: it's not exactly subtle, or what you might call premium telly.
In Ellin's Instagram post, he added: 'Many people worked really hard to make our show as good as it was. When I see cheap, shitty imitations that try to pass for what we did it makes me puke.'
If you're thinking, has this lot appeared together at all since the Entourage movie sank without much of a ripple, you're right to be confused – this is legitimately the first time Piven and Grenier have shared a screen since 2015.
For what it's worth, Betr (the app, not a typo) claims the spot has already pulled in close to 10 million organic social views in just 24 hours. According to a company spokesperson, everyone involved had a grand old time making it, and apparently, viewers are enjoying it too. You can't argue with those numbers, I suppose.
Entourage's Piven/Grenier reunion ad for Jake Paul's Betr app drew nearly 10 million online views in its first day.
Just in case your pop culture memory needs a jog: Entourage ran for eight seasons, airing from 2004 to 2011 on HBO. That makes this TV comeback not just divisive, but ever so slightly surreal.