From the Archives: T-Mobile Reunites Zach Braff & Donald Faison in Oscars Campaign

T-Mobile returned to Hollywood’s biggest night earlier this year with an Oscars campaign.

It turned the award-show stage into a comedy routine starring Zach Braff and Donald Faison.

The former “Scrubs” co-stars, who have become reliable faces for the brand since 2022, appeared in two 30-second spots that aired during the broadcast.

The campaign was created by Panay Films, which helped remind us that Braff and Faison are recurring comic foils in the brand’s advertising.

“Zach and Donald have starred in some of our most popular ads and they’ve become more like creative partners to us over the years, so we couldn’t resist bringing them back for the Oscars,” said Kristin Harrer, senior VP at T-Mobile.

“Their longtime friendship plays perfectly into our story around T-Mobile Home Internet.”

Meanwhile, Head of Creative Brian Klugman said the agency’s choice to stage the ads inside an awards-season setting was intentional.

“Putting Zach and Donald in any scenario is instantly funny, but what elevates the comedy is plugging them into the center of culturally relevant moments."

The pair had been absent from T-Mobile’s Super Bowl work in February, where the company put its focus on its satellite-powered partnership with Elon Musk's Starlink.

Their Oscars comeback was proof that the duo’s chemistry still resonates, helping the brand stay culturally sharp.

From Carpet to Chaos

Directed by Krugman and Walt Becker, the ads leaned heavily on awards-show clichés to make their point.

In the first, they accepted a trophy for the brand’s recent J.D. Power recognition, only to get cut off mid-speech by wrap-it-up music.

The awards-stage gag exaggerated the frustration of trying to thank too many people under a ticking clock.

Meanwhile, the second spot saw the duo work the red carpet while joking about their trust in T-Mobile’s home internet. 

Here, they participated in mock interviews that turned into hilarious product comparisons.

The ads also worked as a continuity in the network’s marketing efforts.

It connected back to Braff and Faison’s earlier campaigns, like the 2023 Super Bowl musical with John Travolta.

T-Mobile's brand partnership with the actors has allowed it to build a comedic franchise of sorts.

The two can riff on new scenarios without needing to reintroduce themselves to audiences.

For the brand, it showed how a consistent creative approach can translate across different cultural moments while still tying back to its core product offering.

Our Take: Is consistency still funny?

The smartest part of the shtick wasn’t just the jokes, but the decision to keep using Braff and Faison as a running bit.

In an era where brands often chase new celebrity faces for quick attention, sticking with a duo that audiences already connect with feels refreshing.

It's a perfect display of how humorous marketing can evolve in new settings without reinventing the formula each time. 

In other news, Homes.com turned to comedians Dan Levy and Heidi Gardner for its recent campaign, taking a similar approach of leaning on recognizable personalities to push a message.