Comedy Fans Will Definitely Recognize The Voice Behind The Progressive Pigeon Commercials
From Flo's upbeat sales pitches to Dr. Rick's therapeutic interventions with young homeowners becoming too much like their parents, Progressive commercials have seen some pretty iconic figures over the years. The insurance company's 2024 ad campaign is no exception, with the pigeon-centered shorts featuring the voices of comedians Retta and H. Jon Benjamin.
While Progressive has released several iterations of their avian commercials, the original featured two stop-motion style pigeons sitting atop a Progressive billboard. When the female bird, voiced by Retta, notices that the advertisement promises up to $750 worth of savings, her companion, voiced by Benjamin, begins daydreaming about "flying south" on a luxurious human plane with his potential savings. "And I won't forget the little birds out there," Benjamin's bird says. "Actually, yes, I will."
Viewers might know Retta from the cast of "Parks and Recreation" and NBC show "Good Girls," while Benjamin's deep vocals can be recognized from "Archer" and "Bob's Burgers." Both of the comedians have been featured in other commercials, but their Progressive ads mark a major collaboration for comedy fans.
Both Retta and H. Jon Benjamin are comedy icons
Avid comedy fans are likely to recognize the voices of Retta and H. Jon Benjamin from their history in the genre. Not only are both voice actors stand-up comedians, but they've also had their share of iconic comedy roles. "Parks and Recreation" fans will recognize Retta as the confident government employee Donna Meagle, though she also starred in the crime dramedy "Good Girls" as Ruby Hill. The New Jersey native has had a handful of guest voice acting roles on comedy shows like "Tuca & Bertie" and "Big Mouth."
Meanwhile, H. Jon Benjamin is most known for his roles as burger shop owner Bob Belcher on "Bob's Burgers" and superspy Sterling Archer on "Archer." In the cult classic "Wet Hot American Summer," the actor hilariously voiced Can of Vegetables, who's later revealed to be named Mitch, returning for the Netflix miniseries "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" and "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later." Besides these beloved projects, he's lent his voice to shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Family Guy" and even guest appeared on a Season 2 episode of "Parks and Recreation."
Both actors have also been featured in other ad campaigns, including Benjamin's series of Arby's sandwich ads and the Retta-narrated Rocket Mortgage commercials. With this much experience under their respective belts, it's no wonder that the two mesh so well in their Progressive shorts.
Fans pointed out the irony of Benjamin's role
Long-time comedy fans were quick to pinpoint Retta and H. Jon Benjamin as the voices behind the Progressive bird commercials, but they also noticed the irony in the Massachusetts native's role. While Benjamin plays a pigeon in the ad, his "Bob's Burger" counterpart has a deep fear of the flying critters. This was a plotline in a Season 6 episode titled "House of 1000 Bounces," during which Linda, Teddy, and Bob deal with a pigeon trapped in the family's restaurant.
"Pigeons aren't harmless, Lin," Bob says in the episode after Teddy and Linda try to prove that the bird is docile. "They steal French fries and they poop on everything and they attack people's faces." If his Progressive commercials are anything to go by, it seems that Benjamin doesn't share the same qualms about the domesticated birds as his TV character. It's a good thing, too, as he and Retta make a great pigeon duo.