Adrian Grenier Just Addressed His Devil Wears Prada 2 Absence in a Starbucks Ad — and Honestly, It’s Pretty Funny

The actor is leaning into the Nate backlash, joking that his character should probably stay in 2006.

Adrian Grenier is clearly not in The Devil Wears Prada 2, but he is getting one last word in.

The actor, who played Andy Sachs’ much-debated boyfriend Nate in the original 2006 film, appears in a new Starbucks ad tied to the sequel’s May 1 release. In it, he addresses the headlines about being left out, then immediately pivots into a bit about “good energy.”

“You might have seen the headlines…I wasn’t asked to be part of a certain sequel,” Grenier says in the ad. “But I’m good. Really. It’s all good energy.” He then toasts Nate, saying the character “made a mean sandwich” and “loved his girlfriend, to a point,” before adding, “He wasn’t perfect. So let’s leave Nate in 2006, and keep this good energy going.” The ad ends with one more wink: “I mean, if they call, I’m free.”

In my opinion, this is probably the smartest way Grenier could have handled it.

And Starbucks clearly knew what it was doing here. The campaign is framed around moving forward with “good energy,” while also giving Grenier space to poke fun at both Nate and the whole “why wasn’t he invited back?” discourse. It is brand synergy, sure, but it is also a pretty savvy way to fold one of the sequel’s most persistent side debates into the promotion.

Grenier had previously said he was disappointed not to be asked back and suggested Nate might deserve his own spinoff, while also defending the character. This new ad feels like a slightly more realistic read on the situation. Yes, he is still joking that he is available. But he is also basically acknowledging that Nate’s moment may have passed.

And if you want the full breakdown of how fans are reacting to all of this, you can read my earlier piece on the internet’s divided response to his sequel snub.