"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin has publicly criticised an advertisement that reunites stars Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier, describing it as a "cheap, s—ty imitation" of his HBO series that "makes me puke." Although the pair technically appear as themselves rather than their characters Ari Gold and Vincent Chase, the ad's tone, dialogue and dynamic closely echo the show, prompting Ellin to accuse its creators of trading on the goodwill built by the original writing team without giving them credit. The row matters because it reopens long-running speculation about a possible "Entourage" revival, which Ellin has repeatedly said is unlikely unless he is paid to develop it.

The advert, a three-minute spot for Jake Paul's gambling app Betr, was revealed by Variety and has reportedly drawn nearly ten million social media views within 24 hours, according to a Betr spokesperson who called the response "overwhelmingly positive." Ellin said he was not involved in or paid for the ad and received around 400 messages about it, and also suggested Piven had previously distanced himself from "Entourage" before now returning "because he's getting paid." A representative for Piven did not respond to a request for comment, while Ellin continued to criticise the ad on social media, calling it "trash and theft."