Billion-dollar ad campaign fueled by anti-LGBTQ+ forces returns to Super Bowl to promote Jesus

The Jesus-infused “He Gets Us” campaign returned to the Super Bowl Sunday night for the second year in a row, airing two ads preaching to love one another and overcome hate – and yet the organization behind the ads donates generously to a prominent anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.

Until recently, He Gets Us was a subsidiary of the Servant Foundation, which has donated over $65 million to the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Open Democracy reports.

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One of the major funders of the campaign has been billionaire David Green, evangelical co-founder of Hobby Lobby, which is known for discriminating against trans folks and refusing to provide birth control coverage to employees.

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Green’s oldest son, Mart, currently sits on the three-person board of the newly formed nonprofit that now manages the He Gets Us campaign – Come Near. While the campaign is no longer affiliated with the Servant Foundation, Yahoo reported that the Green family also has ties to a major ADF donor, the National Christian Foundation.

Alliance Defending Freedom identifies itself as a “legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and God’s design for marriage and family.” The Southern Poverty Law Center describes it as a hate group.

ADF has joined with like-minded organizations in Europe in support of the forced sterilization of transgender individuals and has represented numerous anti-LGBTQ+ plaintiffs in pivotal legal battles for LGBTQ+ rights. The organization has also been a large force behind the anti-abortion movement.

The “He Gets Us” campaign is not affiliated with a specific church or denomination, and many of the ads are designed in such a way that viewers don’t know they are religious until the end.

Last year, Christianity Today reported that the Super Bowl ads are part of a three-year, one billion-dollar campaign.

One of the 2023 ads declared, “Jesus disagreed with loved ones. But didn’t disown them.” Another described Jesus as “an influencer who became insanely popular” but was then “canceled” because he “stood up for something he believed in.”

“The thing that’s different about this year is 2024 is a presidential election year, and all of that divisiveness and hostility is amplified in the presidential election,” Jason Vanderground, president of the ad company behind the campaign, BrandHaven, told Crains.

“We’re trying to be very intentional to build off of last year’s message and instead of showing people fighting, showing people demonstrating what it looks like to love your neighbor.” 

On Sunday, two new He Gets Us ads aired during the Super Bowl. The first one, “Foot Washing” showed a variety of still shots of folks who may typically oppose one another washing each other’s feet. “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet,” the ad states at the end.

The second one, “Who is My Neighbor?” encouraged folks to reach out to the people in need they may normally not even notice.

Well aware of the accusations against it, the He Gets Us campaign claims to “love” LGBTQ+ people but does not state whether it supports LGBTQ+ relationships, equality laws, or anti-discrimination policies.

The website states that “Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people” and that “the LGBTQ+ community, like all people, is invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider his example of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness of others.”

He Gets Us not only aired Super Bowl ads but acted as the lead sponsor for the official NFL Super Bowl breakfast on Saturday, according to Yahoo News.