Benson Boone on His Super Bowl Debut, Comic Chemistry With Ben Stiller, and Those Harry Styles Memes
To sit down with Benson Boone is to inevitably discuss the art of the backflip. The Gen-Z pop powerhouse has made mid-air acrobatics a staple of his live shows—most notably during his high-octane performance at the 2025 Grammys—making his gymnastic prowess a frequent topic of conversation.
When asked if he ever harbors a fear of a botched landing, Boone remains unfazed. “Honestly, no,” he admits with a laugh during a recent Zoom call from Los Angeles. “I just have this unshakable confidence when I’m on stage. Failing isn’t even a thought that crosses my mind; I just assume it’s going to go perfectly.”
That same fearlessness is on full display in Instacart’s latest Super Bowl campaign. In a 30-second spot scheduled for the first quarter of the Big Game on Feb. 8—complemented by a 2.5-minute director’s cut by Spike Jonze—Boone finds himself in an unlikely pairing with comedy titan Ben Stiller. The duo portrays a vaguely European, 1980s-inspired sibling musical act. The narrative centers on a sibling rivalry that takes a physical toll when Stiller, envious of his younger brother’s agility, attempts a high-altitude flip that ends with him crashing into a drum set.
“Working with Ben was an incredible experience,” Boone says of the Zoolander star. “I grew up on his films, so watching his process firsthand was fascinating. He has this amazing ability to pivot on a dime. Spike [Jonze] would give us ten minutes to just riff, and Ben and I would just start feeding off each other’s energy.”
Despite the high stakes of a Super Bowl debut, Boone felt right at home acting alongside a legend. He revealed that much of the dialogue in the campaign teasers was improvised, a skill he developed by performing “weird bits and accents” for his family throughout his childhood.
“I think Ben was actually a bit surprised that I could keep up with him,” Boone notes. “I’ve always been an expressive person and have harbored a quiet ambition for acting. The last few years have been a whirlwind with music, but moving forward, I’d love to dive deeper into that world and perhaps take some formal classes.”
For now, Boone is recalibrating after a massive 50-date arena tour across North America and Europe. The tour supported his sophomore effort, American Heart, which secured a No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200. He describes this period as “relearning self-reliance” and finding inspiration in the mundane as he begins conceptualizing his next project. As for future partnerships? He cites Olivia Rodrigo as a dream collaborator, calling her “one of the most exceptional artists of our generation.”
He’s also leaning into the digital culture surrounding his persona, specifically the Harry Styles comparisons. When Styles teased his return to music earlier this month, the internet erupted with memes suggesting Boone’s reign as the premier “brown-haired pop boy” might be under threat. Some fans even joked that with Styles’ ticket prices soaring, Boone was the more “budget-friendly” alternative.
“The memes are hysterical,” Boone laughs. He even joked about offering Styles “a lesson or two” on how to execute a proper backflip after seeing the stunt-heavy visuals in Styles’ “Aperture” music video. “People have actually been reaching out to check on me because of the memes, but I love it. I think the internet is incredibly clever.”
When he isn’t dominating charts or flipping off stages, Boone’s off-duty requirements are surprisingly modest. His most frequent Instacart order? “Fruit snacks, without a doubt,” he says. “In the studio, I’ll easily go through 20 packs a day, washed down with Martinelli’s apple juice. It’s basically the diet of a five-year-old.”
Check out the director’s cut of the Instacart commercial featuring Benson Boone and Ben Stiller below.
