- Morgan Wallen and sports host Kinsey Wolanski star in a new, flirty minute-long ad for Ryl Tea, dropping on April 15, 2026.
- The ad is set up as a mock interview, with Wolanski turning up the heat before Wallen delivers the punchline, grabbing a can of Ryl Tea and quipping, "Sorry, I was thirsty. I was Ryl (real) thirsty."
- Alongside the ad, Ryl Tea is running a 72-hour VIP ticket giveaway, Fans who use the commercial audio or stitch the original video on social media are eligible to win 2 VIP tickets to Wallen's Still The Problem Tour.
- Wallen first signed on as a brand ambassador and investor with The Ryl Company back in April 2023, also co-creating an exclusive productm "Wallen's Sweet Tea."
Morgan Wallen is turning up the temperature on his long-running relationship with Ryl Tea. The country superstar’s newest ad for the brand pairs him with sports host and influencer Kinsey Wolanski in a sultry mock-interview setup filmed in Nashville, and the payoff is pure comedy.
The camera plays up the tension as Wolanski flirts shamelessly with a visibly flustered Wallen, only for him to grab a can of Ryl Tea at the last second and deliver the tagline: “I was Ryl thirsty.”
Wallen originally joined The Ryl Company in 2023 as a brand ambassador and investor, with Loeb & Loeb LLP representing him in the deal, which also included the launch of a co-branded “Wallen’s Sweet Tea.”
Previous Ryl Tea ads featured comedian Theo Von and Barstool Sports personality Caleb Pressley, keeping the brand’s tone consistently playful and personality-driven. On the brand side, Ryl Tea has also activated appearances with Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Cabral for retail events.
Just as Megan Moroney fronted Revlon’s Be Unforgettable campaign and Dolly Parton teamed up with Good American for her third collection, Wallen is proving that country’s biggest stars are driving some of the most creative brand activations in the game right now.
Beyond Ryl Tea, Wallen’s recent brand portfolio includes a sponsorship with Boot Barn (July 2024), an investment in Field & Stream (January 2024), and a brand endorsement with Battlefield (September 2025).
Wolanski is a licensed dual-rated pilot, sports host, model, and actress with millions of followers across social platforms, and a NordicTrack ambassadorship already on her résumé, making her a well-matched co-star for a campaign built around personality.
Wallen’s Still The Problem Tour, a 23-stadium run, kicked off with back-to-back nights at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, with the next stop at Alabama’s Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on April 18.
Takeaways
This campaign is a masterclass in combining brand extension with live event marketing. Ryl Tea doesn’t just sell a product here, it sells Wallen’s personality at the peak of his cultural moment. Pairing him with a high-voltage personality like Kinsey Wolanski creates the kind of earned media that money alone can’t buy.
The VIP giveaway mechanic is equally sharp: it turns fans into content creators and drives organic reach across TikTok and social without paid media doing all the heavy lifting. For a zero-sugar tea brand punching up against beverage giants, that’s a smart play.
Does the flirty creative format make Ryl Tea more memorable to country music fans or could it alienate some? Is Kinsey Wolanski’s cross-platform appeal (sports, aviation, lifestyle) a smart bridge between Wallen’s country fanbase and a broader demographic?
