Who is the actor in the new Target Santa commercial? Brand's 'weirdly hot' holiday campaign wins over the internet

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A Target signboard in New York City. (Image via Getty/ Beata Zawrzel)

As part of its ongoing holiday campaign, Target has released a series of commercials featuring a modern-day charming version of Santa Claus disguised as a store employee named Kris K.

“Meet Kris, our newest Target Team Member. He loves the holidays as much as the next guy. Actually, way more than the next guy. Actually, way more than anyone we know,” the brand’s YouTube description of the nine-part commercial read.

Played by actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Brent Bailey, Target’s Santa Claus (also called Kris Kringle) appears to be dressed in a red pullover, khaki pants, black and white fur boots, sporting salt and pepper hair, and a grey beard.

One of the commercials titled "Born to be Kris" shows him leaving his holiday-decorated abode in the North Pole and driving around in a crimson Ford Bronco with a license plate reading, “SLEIGH.” Later, he gets down near a brand store as Born To Be Wild plays in the background.

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In another ad called "He's Hot But These Target Turkey Deals Are Hotter," Kris K. interacts with a female shopper who boasts about the brand's holiday offer of 79 cents for every pound of Thanksgiving turkey this year.

“Let me guess, you don’t believe in Santa either, do you? These turkey deals are the real deals,” Brent Bailey’s Santa says.

In response, the customer says to her friend Sarah over the phone,

“It was Santa Claus, and he’s like weirdly hot.”
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These holiday commercials featuring the new version of Santa Claus have now won the internet.

“Target has the hottest Santa I’ve ever seen in these commercials,” a netizen wrote.
“Being attracted to the Target Santa was not something I expected,” another netizen wrote.
“Love this commercial and the eye candy, too,” another user wrote.

Others continued to chime in:

“They got rid of Pride displays, changed Happy Holidays to Merry Christmas, and have a new Maga Chad Santa — has Target gone unwoke?” a person asked.
“Definitely the right choice for Santa, but I still won’t be shopping there. I bud lited them a long time ago,” one person wrote.
“Not gonna lie - that Santa is cute,” wrote another.
“So… Target Santa, amirite? (Put me on the naughty list please),” an individual wrote.

"He’s roguishly handsome"— Target’s executive vice president on Brent Bailey playing Santa Claus

Actor, director, producer, and screenplay writer Brent Bailey is trending for playing the Target employee/Santa Claus in the brand’s latest commercials, which are part of the 2024 “Hot Santa” holiday campaign.

Lisa Roath, the brand’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, told Adweek last week that the latest iteration of Santa Claus symbolized “joyful, helpful, optimistic — characteristics that embody the brand.”

“He has that witty edge, and he’s roguishly handsome. He represents our incredible team members, who are the heroes during the holidays and beyond,” Roath noted.

The ads are part of larger holiday campaigns, including another set titled “Happier Holidays” that launched last month. Target Creative partnered with marketing agency Mythology and EssenceMedia.com to create the commercials that have been airing on social media, television, streaming platforms, and more.

The ads dropped on November 17. Since then, Brent has shared his new venture on his social media. In one Instagram post, he shared a close-up of his role as Kris K and wrote, “The caption options are so endless that I can’t choose. Let’s see what you can come up with in the comments below!!!”

In a follow-up post, the 41-year-old shared the ad and captioned it, “It’s the season. This is going to be a magical campaign!!!! Be sure to share.” Another post had him reshare the “weirdly hot” commercial and joking, “He’s very helpful and apparently he’s weirdly hot!”

The brand’s YouTube channel also has a third ad featuring Brent Bailey as Kris K and two other brand employees. It shows Bailey “bicep curling a tree” and trying to “get in shape” as the store prepared for the Black Friday sale.


Notably, Brent Bailey has previously been involved in holiday projects. In December 2022, he wrote and acted in a movie titled The Holiday Dating Guide. While the Tucson, Arizona native didn’t play Santa Claus in the film, the plot revolved around his character, Michael Ryan, a small-town man falling in love with a careerist writer, played by Maria Menounos, who connects while penning a dating guide.

Some of Brent Bailey’s other gigs include The Idea of You, The Lincoln Lawyer, Criminal Minds, Emma Approved, Crimson Winter, and LBJ.

Edited by Shreya Das
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