Celebrities are playing a bigger role in advertising than ever before.
Brands are significantly increasing their investment in celebrity talent in ads even as they consolidate their number of commercial productions, according to a new report from XR (Extreme Reach), an ad operations and talent payment platform.
The XR State of Pay report analyzed thousands of U.S. commercial productions and talent payments worth $8 billion between 2019 and 2025.
It found that total spending on paid guarantees (contractually committed compensation) for celebrities including actors, musicians, athletes, and other high-profile talent in ad productions exceeded $1 billion in 2025, a 47% increase since 2019.