Culture

BJ Novak Discovered He’s The Stock Image Model For Random Household Products And It’s Hilarious

If my cologne isn't BJ Novak-branded, I don't want it.

by Michelle Rennex  27 October 2021
BJ Novak Public Domain Stock Image Model Household Products

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You might remember BJ Novak from classic roles like Ryan Howard from The Office and Jamie in The Mindy Project, but his latest, and arguably most iconic, gig is actually accidental stock image model.

As it turns out BJ Novak’s face can be found plastered on a whole bunch of household products across the world — and the whole thing is just one giant misunderstanding that the actor is too amused to fix.

You see, Sweden has used the actor’s face to advertise cologne, while Los Angeles went with a Novak-modelled poncho for those random bursts of Californian rain. In Uruguay, an edited version of Novak’s face is used to sell face paint while other places have used the actor’s photo to push electric razors and hair clippers.

The reason? Well, Novak explains that the whole slip-up happened a few years ago when a photo of himself was ~mistakenly~ uploaded to the public domain.

“Years ago, someone mistakenly put an image of me on a public domain site, and now apparently I am on products all around the world,” Novak wrote on his Instagram stories yesterday. “But I am too amused to do anything about it.”

For those who don’t know, the public domain is basically where any creative work that has no copyright lives. This means any images, songs, writing, films, and sketches that land in the public domain are free to use by anyone. Anywhere. Without credit or rules.

The public domain is especially helpful for smaller brands who can’t afford to license images to advertise their products, so this accidental stock image moment for BJ Novak seems like a win-win for all involved. Face paint brands can advertise their product in a way that feels like low-key celebrity endorsement, while Novak gets a gallery of images of himself photoshopped in the most random ways imaginable.

Now if only we can convince Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings star Simu Liu to put one of his old stock image photos into the public domain, maybe we can get some Liu-branded glowsticks or something.