HBO Sends Betr, Cofounded by Jake Paul, Cease-and-Desist for Ad Featuring ‘Entourage’ Stars

HBO is firing back after Betr released an ad which appeared to depict Adrian Grenier and Jeremy Piven’s Entourage characters reuniting at a house party.

On Monday, September 14, In Touch reported that HBO sent Betr CEO Joey Levy a cease-and-desist alleging an ad for the gaming app — which was cofounded by Jake Paul — infringed on the Entourage IP and was made without their consent or authorization. HBO is demanding the commercial be taken down across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and elsewhere, and threatening legal action and damages if the matter is not resolved.

Both Piven, 61, and Grenier, 50, initially shared the ad on X on September 8, which featured the Drive Me Crazy star agreeing to be the face of Betr. Though the two don’t refer to each other by name as Ari Gold or Vincent Chase, Entourage loyalists were quick to notice their roles in the commercial are clearly inspired by the long-running series.

According to In Touch, attorneys for HBO informed Levy that “everything” in the ad “from its setting, to the actors’ clothing, dialogue, and manner of speech, is evocative, if not duplicative, of Entourage,” adding there is “no doubt” Betr intended to “exploit the show’s popularity and instant recognition” while promoting the app.

Grenier, Piven, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara starred on the series for eight seasons from 2004 to 2011. The series was loosely based on Mark Wahlberg’s life, with the characters inspired by his own tight-knit clique: Vincent was modeled after the Ted star, 55, while Ari was inspired by Wahlberg’s real-life agent Ari Emanuel, who is releasing his memoir Roll the Calls on September 22.

Entourage creator Doug Ellin has described the commercial as “garbage seek,” “trash and theft” on X — and in response, Betr shared a statement to The Wrap, thanking him for “watching the ad and helping promote it.”

Piven and Grenier have yet to publicly respond to Ellin’s criticism.