Will Ferrell Knows His Smoking Buddy The Elf Went Viral, But Apparently Some Fans Were Majorly Unhappy: ‘Not Cool’

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To appreciate Will Ferrell‘s humor, you merely need to glance at a few of his funniest films. It’s clear that he isn’t renowned for his subtly – this has been evident since his days on Saturday Night Live, where he helped make Ron Burgundy famous in Anchorman, and continues with his upcoming project in 2025, You’re Cordially Invited. Throughout his career, Ferrell has built a reputation for taking his characters to extreme levels. Some people might argue that he went too far when he was spotted drinking and smoking while dressed as Buddy the Elf at an NHL game. After this incident caused a stir online and attracted criticism, Ferrell discussed the experience and the backlash he faced.

Without a doubt, one of Will Ferrell’s most beloved roles is Buddy, the longing-to-be North Pole dweller from the 2003 movie Elf, which ranks among the finest films of the 2000s and is also considered one of the best Christmas movies ever made. Therefore, it brought great joy to many fans – though some were taken aback – when they saw him return to the character during an L.A. Kings-Philadelphia Flyers hockey game in December. Ferrell’s grouchy portrayal of the elf, who normally exudes endless Christmas spirit, didn’t sit well with all fans, as he himself admitted to People magazine.

Some individuals weren’t particularly pleased, expressing thoughts like, ‘Let’s stay faithful to the character. That wasn’t well-received.’

It appears unusual for the elf, who played a significant role in persuading New York City’s grumpiest residents to participate in community caroling to save Christmas, to have let himself get so out of shape (it certainly didn’t look like he was drinking syrup from his glass). Previously, Will Ferrell has spoken about his choice to portray the sad Buddy character, hinting that perhaps he was fired from the North Pole (an idea I strongly disagree with). However, Ferrell went on to say:

Buddy was having a bad day. Yeah. He just went to a hockey game, smoked cigarettes and drank beer.

Haven’t we all had those days when we just feel a little down, even if it wasn’t at a hockey game? I suppose Buddy the Elf, who always seems so joyful, might have one of those days too. And to be honest, it’s not much different than watching Will Ferrell with a candy cigarette in his mouth compared to seeing him pick up chewed gum from NYC subway rails and put it in his mouth, as far as our kids are concerned.

I can relate to people’s worries since it might be saddening for children to perceive Buddy the Elf differently, especially if they realize that he is a character from a film. Fingers crossed that no long-lasting distress will affect the kids at the hockey game, unlike those movie characters who probably never recovered in the same way.

It seems that the young audience members, whether they were watching the movie or attending the Kings game, received a premature reminder of the phrase “Don’t meet your idols.” Given Will Ferrell’s actions in the movie, one might speculate if he would reconsider jeopardizing a character’s reputation in such a way again. However, I suspect that he may not give it a second thought.

To truly relive the magic of Buddy the Elf as envisioned by Director Jon Favreau, you can rent ‘Elf’ through your Amazon Prime subscription or any other rental service.

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2025-02-02 23:37