What is Lincoln MKC Commercials?

Lincoln MKC Commercials are a 2014 ad campaign for the Lincoln MKC compact crossover in which Matthew McConaughey delivers slow, moody monologues while driving, in a style that reminded viewers of his Rust Cohle character from True Detective.

Where did Lincoln MKC Commercials come from?

Lincoln Motor Company's official YouTube channel uploaded the first ads on September 4, 2014, and the same day a Redditor posted the 'Bull' spot to /r/TrueDetective, kicking off the Rust Cohle comparison that fueled the parodies.

What does Lincoln MKC Commercials mean?

In meme terms, Lincoln MKC Commercials refers less to the car itself and more to the format of a serious actor driving a car at night while mumbling vaguely philosophical nonsense, which parodies then exaggerate for laughs.

How do you use Lincoln MKC Commercials?

A parody typically puts someone behind the wheel at night and has them speak slowly about something trivial as if it were deeply profound, as Jim Carrey did in his October 25, 2014 Saturday Night Live sketch.

Is Lincoln MKC Commercials still popular?

The format is a classic 2014 ad meme now rather than an active one, but the original Lincoln spots are still viewable on the company's YouTube channel and the SNL and South Park parodies are still referenced when people talk about the McConaughey Lincoln era.

Lincoln MKC Commercials

2014viral videoclassic

Published October 21, 2026

Lincoln MKC Commercials were a 2014 ad campaign featuring Matthew McConaughey behind the wheel of a crossover SUV, delivering slow, philosophical monologues that viewers instantly compared to his Rust Cohle character from True Detective. Debuting on September 4, 2014, the spots drew parodies within weeks from The Ellen Show, South Park and Saturday Night Live. By late October, Jim Carrey's SNL impression had become the defining spoof, with the clip earning over 4,500 upvotes on /r/videos.

advertising memes celebrity reaction memes snl memes mid 2010s memes pseudo intellectual memes

Overview

Each spot showed McConaughey driving the MKC compact crossover alone, speaking in a slow Texas drawl about topics like a bull standing in the middle of a country road or realizing he had been doing something before it was popular1. Dim lighting, long pauses and vaguely spiritual phrasing matched the aesthetic of HBO's True Detective so closely that the Rust Cohle comparison hit viewers right away5.

Parodies latched onto that exact formula. A comedian sits behind the wheel at night, stares pensively ahead and delivers meandering nonsense in a slow accent. Jim Carrey's version for Saturday Night Live piled physical mugging on top of the vocal impression3, while The Ellen Show and South Park inserted their own characters directly into the ad frame5.

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Origin & Background

Platform

YouTube (Lincoln Motor Company) / Reddit (viral spread)

Date

2014

On September 4, 2014, Lincoln Motor Company's YouTube channel posted the first batch of McConaughey ads for the MKC crossover, including the 'Bull' spot in which he encounters a bull standing in the road1. A second spot had him musing about always driving a Lincoln, even before it was cool2. Hudson Rouge handled the campaign for Lincoln; McConaughey improvised much of the dialogue on camera.

Later that same day, Redditor KyleSJohnson posted the 'Bull' clip to /r/TrueDetective and pointed out that McConaughey was basically playing Rust Cohle again in a car commercial5. The Rust Cohle framing stuck and set the template for every parody that followed.

How It Spread

Within three weeks of the launch, mainstream TV comedy picked up the format. On September 22, 2014, The Ellen Show aired a sketch where Ellen DeGeneres appears in the back seat during one of McConaughey's drives5. South Park followed on October 15 with Season 18 Episode 4, 'Handicar,' which included a direct spoof of the ad5.

The impression hit its peak on October 25, 2014, when Jim Carrey hosted Saturday Night Live and performed a full parody version of the campaign, complete with the drawling monologue and the moody driving shots3. A YouTube upload of the sketch went up the next day and was shared to /r/television, where it collected over 3,900 votes at 89 percent upvoted, and to /r/videos, where it earned over 4,500 votes at 94 percent upvoted inside 24 hours5.

The actual ads themselves also kept circulating. The 'Bull' spot and the follow-up intersection monologue stayed on Lincoln's official channel and racked up millions of views over the years that followed1 4.

Timeline

2014-09-04

Lincoln Motor Company's YouTube channel posts the first McConaughey MKC ads, including the 'Bull' spot.

2014-09-04

Redditor KyleSJohnson posts the 'Bull' commercial to /r/TrueDetective and makes the Rust Cohle comparison.

2014-09-22

The Ellen Show airs a parody with Ellen DeGeneres appearing in McConaughey's back seat.

2014-10-15

South Park Season 18 Episode 4, 'Handicar,' airs with a direct spoof of the Lincoln ad.

2014-10-25

Jim Carrey hosts Saturday Night Live and performs a parody version of the McConaughey Lincoln campaign.

2014-10-26

A YouTube clip of the SNL parody is posted to /r/videos, where it earns over 4,500 upvotes in 24 hours.

How to Use This Meme

A typical Lincoln MKC Commercials parody puts someone behind the wheel of a car at night, has them speak slowly and vaguely about an everyday observation, and treats the moment with the serious tone of a prestige crime drama. Common conventions include a long pause before the first line, a non-sequitur about an animal or a memory, and a dashboard that is clearly visible in the shot.