Ben Affleck’s Dunkin’ Donuts Ad Inadvertently Hired John Candy’s Son. What Happened When People Found Out

The Dunkin’ Donuts tracksuit came back for Ben Affleck’s Super Bowl LIX commercial. While the Bostonian packed a lot into his 30-second Super Bowl ads last year, this time he directed a mini-movie, DunKings 2, that was part of your 2025 TV schedule featuring a bunch of star-studded cameos. But team behind the commercial had no idea that one cameo they hired was actually John Candy’s son, Chris, with a fascinating story of what happened when people found out.

Ben Affleck’s Dunkin’ Donuts ads are pure gold and so star-packed that you wish the DunKings had their own movie. In DunKings 2, Affleck’s fictional boy band battles against other food chain boy bands. So many star-studded cameos made this Dunkin’s sequel ad one of the best commercials of the Super Bowl LIX, with appearances from Jay and Silent Bob, Casey Affleck, former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Jeremy Strong, and more.

However, there is one sneaky cameo you must know about from the Super Bowl ad. If you take a closer look at one of the members of the Burger Chain Gang wearing a giant burger on his head, that’s none other than John Candy’s son, Chris! According to his chat with TMZ, he originally had no idea Affleck’s DunKings 2 commercial was for the Super Bowl and people on set were flabbergasted to know they were working with John Candy’s son. He spoke about the heartwarming experience he had on set with the Argo star and the cast once they found out:

I can understand why Chris Candy didn’t say anything about his super cool family connections. I’d like to believe he wanted his co-stars to know the man under the big burger hat first before knowing about his famous dad. But once the people on set found out the connection, it was incredibly sweet that so many wanted to know stories about the Spaceballs actor and share their love for him. That must have made for some great conversations.

The Canadian-born actor had never shied away from honoring his late father like back on the 29th anniversary of the Uncle Buck actor’s death when he and his sister, Jennifer, made endearing tributes on Instagram and honored him the same way on the 30th anniversary. We also can’t forget that the Candy family plans to honor the legendary comedian’s legacy with a documentary produced by Ryan Reynolds. So, we know there will be more stories out there to tell of The Great Outdoors actor.

Watching Chris Candy humorously play the Burger Chain Gang member makes me feel like I’m watching John Candy all over again. In just a few seconds of screentime, Candy gave an over-the-top comedic performance I’m sure his father would be proud of. In fact, the Too Much Movie podcast creator and co-host told TMZ he believed his dad would have loved what he saw too:

What better way to honor your football fan dad’s legacy than by co-starring in a Super Bowl ad? Hopefully, Ben Affleck doesn’t catch that part about Tim Horton’s! After all, there’s no denying the actor’s love of Dunkin’ Donuts, as he claims to drink the coffee brand every day. There’s no more fitting way to celebrate your favorite donut franchise than by entertaining audiences with A+ commercials.

Naturally, the DunKings 2 stars couldn’t wait to hear John Candy stories after finding out his son co-starred with them all. Hopefully, we can see Chris Candy continue to follow in his father’s footsteps with more comedic works.