ST. THOMAS — Virgin Islands supermodel Hannah Davis has replaced actor Rob Lowe as the public face of DirecTV in commercials that are currently airing locally and nationally.
In the ads which were shot in St. Thomas, Davis, 24, rides a talking white horse played in a voice-only role by comedian Jemaine Clement of HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords.”
So far, Davis is featured in two DirecTV commercials. In the first, she is shown riding the white horse on Lindquist Beach – while in the second she’s seen sitting on a bench in Smith Bay Park next to the talking steed.
Davis, who came to national prominence as the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover model in February, has been reportedly given a six-figure contract for the DirecTV advertisements.
The ads featuring Lowe were called “misleading” by cable TV rival Comcast in a complaint filed with the National Advertising Division, an arm of the Council of Better Business Bureaus that reviews ads for accuracy and fairness. DirecTV has said it plans to appeal the ruling.
The ads with Davis first began being aired on the Discovery Channel’s show “Deadliest Catch” and have run at least 803 times, according to iSpot.tv.
DirecTV is currently involved in a merger with AT&T and it is not known if Davis will stay on as the public face of the satellite provider if the merger is approved. Davis has previously appeared in television and print ads as the “genie” for satellite provider DirecTV.
She is frequently reported to be in a long-term relationship with retired New York Yankees baseball great Derek Jeter.
Davis was born and raised in St. Thomas and is the daughter of Deborah L. “Debi” (Behm) and Conn Jay Davis.
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