Jude Bellingham’s Calvin Klein Underwear Ad Brings New York Traffic to a Standstill

A new Calvin Klein campaign featuring England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has caused a sensation in New York. A giant billboard at the intersection of Houston and Lafayette streets in the NoHo neighborhood has become a local attraction, with drivers honking, stopping and even getting out of their cars to film the footballer posing in his underwear.

“People have been honking all day and getting out of their cars to record videos,” one local resident told Page Six. Another source described the advertisement as a new tourist attraction, adding: “He’s just gorgeous.”

In the campaign image, Bellingham poses in a pair of fitted Icon Cotton Stretch Hip Briefs. The advertisement has quickly gone viral on TikTok, with fans making special trips downtown to take photos in front of the footballer’s image.

One TikTok creator joked that when a woman says she is going shopping in SoHo, she might not actually be heading there for the shops or designer handbags, but simply to catch a glimpse of Jude. Another captioned a video: “Girls, don’t forget to visit the best view in New York.”

Bellingham scored seven goals for England at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He also reached the final of Grindr’s tongue-in-cheek “Bulge of the Year” ranking, which celebrates the most eye-catching male silhouettes. In 2024, he also appeared in a campaign for Kim Kardashian’s brand Skims.

The Calvin Klein shoot took place in Madrid in August and was photographed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch.

The billboard, measuring approximately 17 by 23 metres, has been used by Calvin Klein for decades. Previous stars featured on it include Bad Bunny in March 2025 and The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White in January 2024. In 2021, GQ described the advertising space as the fashion world’s “Hollywood Walk of Fame”.

Over the years, the billboard has also hosted several landmark campaigns. In 2020, it featured Jari Jones, the first Black transgender model to appear on the iconic display. In 2015, Calvin Klein used the space to showcase its first same-sex couple in an advertising campaign.