HBO Slams Betr For Exploiting ‘Popularity’ and ‘Recognition’ of ‘Entourage’ to Promote Gaming App

Betr, a gaming app cofounded by Jake Paul, has drawn the ire of HBO.

In Touch reported on Monday, September 14, that HBO sent a cease-and-desist to Paul’s business partner and Betr CEO Joey Levy just days after Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier took to X to share an ad the Entourage alums filmed to promote the betting app.

“I found my boy… @adriangrenier,” the 61-year-old captioned the ad, in which he tracked down Grenier at a house party and pitched him the idea of serving as the face of Betr.

The Drive Me Crazy star, 50, also posted the clip that same day, captioned, “Give them what they want…”

Though neither actor referred to each other by name, fans were quick to assume they were reprising their Entourage characters, Ari Gold and Vincent Chase.

According to In Touch, attorneys for HBO declared the commercial infringed on the television network’s Entourage IP and was made without its consent or authorization. The letter demanded the company remove the commercial from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and elsewhere, as well as disclosure of the ad spend, viewer numbers and profits.

HBO is threatening legal action and damages if the matter isn’t resolved.

“Everything about the Infringing Advertisement, from its setting, to the actors’ clothing, dialogue, and manner of speech, is evocative, if not duplicative, of Entourage,” HBO’s attorneys told Levy in legal documents, per In Touch. “There can be no doubt that Betr plainly intended the overall look and feel of the Infringing Advertisement to evoke Entourage and to exploit the show’s popularity and instant recognition.”

Grenier and Piven brought Vincent Chase, modeled off of Mark Wahlberg, and Ari Gold, inspired by Wahlberg’s agent Ari Emanuel — who is releasing his highly anticipated memoir Roll the Calls on September 22 — to life for eight seasons alongside Kevin Connolly (who played Eric Murphy), Kevin Dillon (Johnny “Drama” Chase) and Jerry Ferrara (Salvatore “Turtle” Assante). Perrey Reeves, Debi Mazar, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Scott Caan also appeared on the drama.

Entourage creator Doug Ellin described the Betr commercial in a post shared on Instagram as a “cheap” imitation — and in a snarky response to The Wrap, the company thanked Ellin, 58, for “watching the ad and helping promote it.”

Neither Grenier or Piven have publicly responded to Ellin’s remarks or HBO’s letter to Betr.