Justin Bieber’s Calvin Klein ads just got the Ellen DeGeneres treatment.
On Monday, the daytime host and comedienne, who is well known for sending up famous films , shows or pop culture visuals to hilarious effect, photoshopped herself into one of the Biebs’ signature print ad poses in his new underwear and jeans campaign with model Lara Stone.
I just looked at @JustinBieber ‘s Calvin Klein photo. Definitely didn’t see any photoshop. pic.twitter.com/HJcQHq7oyu
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 12, 2015
Naturally, DeGeneres replaces Lara. The comic is seen in white jeans while made to look topless. One of her hands tucks in to the top of Justin’s distressed jeans, above which the top of the singer’s white Calvins peek through.
Justin is seen smoldering shirtless with tattooed arms and an unreadable look, in contrast to the bright, zany smile on Ellen’s face.
The image was out tweeted to the 37.6 million followers of The Ellen Show’s official Twitter account, and comes hot on the heels of the major brouhaha that sparked when the Calvin Klein brand was accused of photoshopping the heartthrob’s sexy shots with Stone, just a day after the pair were unveiled in the campaign last Tuesday.
Critics suggested the Biebs’ bulge isn’t as big and his abs weren’t as ripped as they are in the Calvin Klein ads. Beliebers and non-beliebers battled over the debate online, with even Mark Wahlberg’s wife slamming the Biebs’ pictures as retouched.
The fuss took a legal turn when the website Breathe Heavy posted a photoshopped GIF of the singer posing in Calvins and pretended it was an “unretouched” outtake from the Klein photo shoot. The website also claimed a source alleged Justin repeatedly “hitting on” Lara during the shoot, and asked to be made to look buffer than he is.
Not surprisingly, Bieber’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to the site demanding they remove the fake GIF, offer an apology to the singer and retract all their claims.
Breathe Heavy then admitted the GIF was photoshopped, removed the “unretouched” GIF that Jezebel dubbed “fake as hell,” and offered Bieber a snarky apology.
“Team Bieber sent BreatheHeavy a cease and desist letter because of the alleged un-retouched Calvin Klein photo we posted, asking we remove the picture in question as well as provide a retraction. Because BreatheHeavy is not about making anyone feel bad or intentionally stirring the pot (and are definitely not here for lawsuits), we shall retract the story per request.”
The site also linked to a public statement by Bieber’s personal trainer claiming the singer’s package is “well endowed,” and statements by Calvin Klein declaring the singer’s behavior on-set was professional, adding that he “showed up early every day with amazing energy” and “gave it his all.”
Meanwhile, following DeGeneres’ surprise photoshop , Justin posted a photo to his Fahlo account, captioned “Stay ready.”
The image shows the platinum blonde singer looking into what appears to be a backstage stage-mirror. It has touched off rumors among fans that he could be appearing on a future episode of The Ellen Show , given that Bieber has been on the show many times over the years.
Time will tell. But if the Biebs does appear on Ellen it will be his first talk show appearance since early 2013.
[Images via Calvin Klein/Wire Image]