Why The Actress In The Discover Card Commercials Looks So Familiar

The actress from the Super Bowl 2024 Discover card commercial is an Emmy-winning icon. Between the fast food and beer commercials, all eyes turned to Discover's quirky new advertisement, which showcases the excellent and friendly service that customers receive with their cards. In the quick spot, a woman calls Discover's customer service for a query and is amazed by how realistic the service rep is with their responses, thinking that they're a robot. The customer then asks the representative to prove that they're a human. The tables turn when the rep asks the caller to prove that they're a human, leaving the woman debating if she's a robot. 

The quick and effective spot features Jennifer Coolidge as the caller going through an existential crisis, wondering if she really is human. Best known for her comedic work, Coolidge has emerged as an icon in recent years thanks to her diverse roles. The Discovery card commercial for this year's Super Bowl isn't Coolidge's first rodeo with the credit card company — she's consistently worked with the brand over the last few months to promote their cards. 

With how popular the Discover ads have become, thanks in part to Coolidge's hilarious presence, chances are that audiences have seen her in several of their favorite TV shows and movies over the last few years.  

Jennifer Coolidge began to work consistently in the '90s, boasting small appearances in shows like "Seinfeld" and the first "Austin Powers" flick. It wasn't until "American Pie" that she became an absolute sensation. Coolidge is best remembered for playing Stifler's Mom in the raunchy teen comedy, which became a box office and cultural fixture in 1999. Though Coolidge's role in the film was brief, she became forever associated with the picture, especially after it became a franchise. Coolidge continued to reprise her role as Stifler's Mom for all the mainline "American Pie" films, last appearing in 2012's "American Reunion." 

Following the release of the initial "American Pie," Coolidge became one of Hollywood's most intriguing talents. The film helped land Coolidge several roles, propelling her to international stardom. For Coolidge, starring in "American Pie" was a major career move, one that she's still proud of to this day. "I got a lot of play at being a MILF, and I got a lot of sexual action from 'American Pie,'" Coolidge candidly told Vanity Fair. "There were so many benefits to doing that movie. I mean, there would be like 200 people that I would've never have slept with." 

While Coolidge would have no doubt become a superstar without "American Pie," the film definitely helped propel the star's career and personal life, in more ways than one. 

After the release of "American Pie," Jennifer Coolidge starred in a variety of films, including "The Broken Hearts Club." Her clout from the teen comedy led her to an exceptionally busy 2001, which saw her starring in five massive productions, with the most notable being "Legally Blonde." In the Reese Witherspoon-starring comedy, Coolidge plays the adorable and heartbroken Paulette Bonafonté who finds a friend in Elle Woods (Witherspoon). The picture emerged as a huge success, spawning a franchise of its own, with Coolidge returning for the 2003 sequel "Red, White & Blonde." 

Ask any Coolidge fan to pick between Stifler's Mom or Paulette and you'll find them thinking for days, proving just how important her supporting role in "Legally Blonde" is to her ever-expanding legacy. Now, all eyes are on the long-gestating "Legally Blonde 3," which just wouldn't be complete without Coolidge's Paulette. While the film hasn't entered production yet, Coolidge told Extra in 2003 that she wouldn't say no to the threequel. "Of course, I would be on board. I've been hearing about it for a long time... Maybe it is really is happening at this point," she said. "I would love to do it. I would absolutely love to do 'Legally Blonde 3.'" 

While 2001 is best remembered as the year of Paulette bending and snapping, Coolidge also starred in the Ben Stiller-directed "Zoolander" and Chris Rock's "Down to Earth." Eventually, Coolidge would dive deep into the world of television, transitioning into an exciting chapter of her career. 

Jennifer Coolidge continued to spend most of the 2000s starring in a number of memorable comedies, including Adam Sandler's heartfelt "Click" and the parody flick "Epic Movie." Her momentum continued in the 2010s when she nabbed a starring role in the CBS sitcom "2 Broke Girls." In the series, Coolidge appears as Sophie Kachinsky, a woman who lives in the same apartment building as the titular broke girls. Both Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) find a confidant in the feisty and hilarious Sophie, with the trio emerging as great (but complicated) friends by the end of the show's six-season run. 

Coolidge initially appeared in a guest capacity during the debut season of "2 Broke Girls" but was bumped up to a starring role starting with the show's sophomore outing. In the show, Coolidge plays the owner of a cleaning company. What many fans of the CBS series might not know is that Coolidge based the character on her own cleaning lady, telling reporters (via HuffPost) that "I love that somehow I get channel her [...] She just made vacuuming look so good." 

While the Discovery card commercial actress has starred in dozens of television shows, including the likes of "Glee" and "Royalties," she's most well-known today for the role that won her two Emmys. 

Yes, she's Stifler's Mom and Paulette, and a dozen more interesting characters, but Jennifer Coolidge will now forever be known as the actress who brought life to Tanya McQuoid. 

In 2021, Coolidge landed a starring role in Mike White's anthology series "The White Lotus," and the rest is pretty much history. In the first season of the HBO darling, Coolidge played the needy, extremely rich, and chaotic McQuoid who finds herself vacationing at the White Lotus resort chain in Maui. Filled with a star-studded cast, the first season quickly became one of the network's most popular original programmings, with Coolidge singled out for her hilarious and heartfelt take on the complicated Tanya. 

For her performance, Coolidge won a slew of awards, including the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Well-deserved is an understatement when it comes to the accolades that the Discovery card commercial star received for "The White Lotus." For Season 2, which takes place in Sicily, Coolidge was one of the few actors invited to return. Unsurprisingly, Coolidge killed it again, taking home another Emmy for her tragic and emotional performance. 

If starring in "American Pie" gave Coolidge's career momentum, then headlining "White Lotus" was nothing short of career-defining. While speaking with Forbes, Coolidge praised series creator Mike White for considering her for the role, adding, "It is the ride of a lifetime and I got to play this incredible part and play this very complicated, tortured person." While Coolidge won't be returning for the third season of "The White Lotus," we're all eager to see what she'll be cooking up next.