‘Suits’ Star Gabriel Macht Gets Roughed Up in Bear Beatdown in Ad for Seth Macfarlane’s Whiskey Brand

Macht with his co-star. (Photo: Bear Fight)

On Monday, Bear Fight Whiskey unveiled its inaugural ad campaign with the “Suits” star headlining, Gabriel Macht. The cheeky spot depicted a fairly rough day on set for Macht, with the actor getting pummelled by his co-star — a man in a bear costume.

Macht, known for his role as Harvey Specter in “Suits,” joined the American Single Malt whiskey brand in October as a creative partner and equity stakeholder. Bear Fight Whiskey subsequently announced that Macht would star in the brand’s first campaign, titled “What’s Your Bear Fight?” Though the nature of the commercial was to be determined, no one could have predicted it would have involved the actor getting punched on screen by a man in a bear suit — and Macht appeared to be surprised, as well.

“Wait, what’s up with the bear?” the actor asks the director after the “bear” sidles up next to him on screen.

The director appears to brush off Macht’s concerns, claiming that “Frank” — the man in the bear suit — is his brother-in-law and is a huge fan of Macht’s work. Frank appears to have a bit less on-set experience than his costar, and the director attempts to give him a note, citing that the whiskey brand is named “Bear Fight.”Frank takes the note a bit too literally and punches Macht in the face during the next take. Comedic shenanigans ensue, and eventually a beaten down Macht — who appears to be very much in need of a drink at that point — walks off-set.

The full spot can be viewed below:

Bear Fight’s inaugural ad campaign is very on-brand considering that the “Family Guy” creator and showrunner Seth MacFarlane hopped aboard the whiskey brand in October 2022 as a brand stakeholder and chief storyteller.

The brand’s portfolio features two flagship expressions: an American single malt and a Kentucky bourbon finished in reposado tequila barrels. Bear Fight’s American Single Malt is priced at $46.99, and the bourbon has a modest price of $37.99.

Bear Fight’s American Single Malt experienced a fairly buzzy release and garnered solid reviews from a critical standpoint. If you’re interested in learning more about Bear Fight’s American Single Malt whiskey, check out what the critics have said here.

Many American single malt brands breathed a major sigh of relief in December, when the U.S. Government’s Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau finally ratified the whiskey category. Though some brands, more notably the Brother Justus whiskey brand, balked at the mandated 160-proof distillation cap, the regulations were well-received by distillers across the country.