Fortune may favor the brave but comedy has the last word.
The characters in "South Park," the long-running animated sitcom, took aim at actor Matt Damon and the cryptocurrency phenomenon.
Damon starred in a commercial for Crypto.com, a Singapore cryptocurrency exchange, which began airing in October and has since been slammed in a rolling snowball of criticism.
When in Rome
In the ad Damon walks through a Museum of Bravery talking about daring souls who overcame their fears to achieve greatness.
“In these moments of truth,” Damon says, “these men and women — these mere mortals, just like you and me — as they peer over the edge, they calm their minds and steel their nerves with four simple words that have been whispered by the intrepid since the time of the Romans: Fortune favors the brave.”
Apparently the "South Park" crew couldn't resist taking a shot at the ad.
In "Pajama Day," the show's season 25 premiere, the main characters' fourth-grade class loses its privilege to wear PJs to the school’s pajama day.
"What does Matt Damon say in the bitcoin commercial? Fortune favors the brave!" Cartman says.
"My dad said he listened to Matt Damon and lost all his money," Clyde replies.
"Yes, everyone did," Cartman says. "But, they were brave in doing so!”
There are a few more jabs at Damon over the commercial before the episode goes meta and notes that jokes about the commercial are already dated, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Little Green Panda
The show's creators have previously zinged Damon. In 2004 film Team America, a puppet character can only say the name “Matt Damon”.
In December the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone mocked the craze for non-fungible tokens or NFTs in South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID that was released on Paramount+.
"It’s gone: my savings, my house. But I have this little green panda on a skateboard," one character says.
Last year, Crypto.com bought the naming rights to the former Staples Center, dubbing the home of the L.A. Lakers and other teams Crypto.com Arena.
In January, Crypto.com was forced to suspend withdrawals for several hours after a security breach.
The company, which has more than 10 million customers and is one of the most prominent crypto platforms in the U.S., posted on its account that withdrawal services have been restored and that all funds are safe.
Crypto.com said in a blog post that unauthorized withdrawals totaled 4,836.26 ethereum, 443.93 bitcoin - equivalent to roughly $15.8 million and $19 million respectively, at Jan. 17 exchange rates - and roughly $66,200 in other cryptocurrencies.
Meanwhile Bitcoin prices have dropped more than 46% since their November all-time High.
