Jonathan Bennett is switching gears from “Mr. Christmas” to Mr. Carnival, with a delightfully campy recreation of Kathie Lee Gifford’s “iconic” 1984 commercial for the cruise line.
On Thursday, Jan. 2, the Mean Girls star and Carnival Cruise brand ambassador, 43, took to social media, posting a video featuring his shot-for-shot remake alongside Gifford’s original ad, and the two clips sync up pretty much perfectly, right down to Bennett’s Gifford-inspired wardrobe.
The OG ad — Carnival’s first national TV campaign — featured Gifford singing the 1921 song “Ain’t We Got Fun” while gallivanting around one of the company’s “Fun Ships” and the sunny destinations they sail to. Similarly, Bennett’s update finds the Finding Mr. Christmas host singing a very ’80s-inflected cover of the song in nearly identical scenarios.
“My tribute to the most iconic commercial of all time,” Bennett captioned the video on TikTok. “Kathie Lee you are a legend!”
And Gifford took notice, reposting the side-by-side video to her official Instagram account.
“So fun to relive those musical memories of 20 years of working for Carnival Cruise Lines and making their iconic commercials,” she wrote in the Jan. 2 post. “I suppose imitation is the best form of flattery, so thank you @jonathandbennett. Although, I do look a whole lot better than you do in a bikini!”
As the Today show notes, Gifford, now 71, worked with Carnival from 1984 to 2004, and even revealed during her final appearance as a host of the program in 2015 that her son Cody was conceived on one of the company’s ships.
Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line
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Bennett, who was named “Godfather” of the company’s Carnival Firenze ship last April, responded to Gifford’s seal of approval, commenting that the daytime TV icon’s Carnival commercials “brought me so much joy.”
“I still know every word to all of them,” he added, “and getting to recreate them was an honor. You will always be the best to ever do it, but it was FUN getting to play!”
Meanwhile, in a comment on Carnival’s Instagram post featuring the video, Bennett’s husband, actor and TV presenter Jaymes Vaughan, challenged fans to spot his cameo in the clip. Vaughan can be seen briefly in the ad’s photo booth scene.
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