Romeo Bingham wasn’t trying to start a movement. She was just vibing.
On December 23rd, the 25-year-old caregiver from Tacoma, Washington hopped on TikTok and did what felt natural. She sang a little something for her favorite soda: “Dr Pepper, baaaaaaaaby, it’s good and nice. Doo doo doo.”
Watch Romeo’s original TikTok here.
That’s it. Fifteen seconds. Posted on impulse. She tagged Dr Pepper, wrote in the caption that she “impulsively posted this,” and asked them to hit her up so they could “make thousands together.”
And then the internet did what the internet does.
The Come Up Was Real
Within hours, Dr Pepper slid into the comments with: “hold on…. you might be onto something.” Then came the DM. Then came the remix. A musician named Burrell added a full instrumental, another creator layered in harmonies, and suddenly Romeo’s hook was everywhere. The original video racked up over 35 million views.
But here’s where it gets good.
Other brands started showing up in her comments begging for their own jingles. Subway. Popeyes. Wingstop. Welch’s Fruit Snacks. Buffalo Wild Wings. Everybody wanted that energy.
Romeo had stumbled onto something real, and the culture recognized it immediately.
From TikTok To Prime Time
Fast forward to January 20th. The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship. One of the biggest stages in sports. And there it was. Romeo’s jingle, playing during the broadcast.
Dr Pepper didn’t try to overdo it. They kept the amateur energy that made it special in the first place. The commercial featured the sound of a can cracking open, Dr Pepper pouring over ice, and Romeo’s vocals right there in the mix, with her TikTok handle credited on screen like it was still a homemade video.
The creative director behind the ad said they focused on “honoring what made the jingle special in the first place.” Translation: they knew better than to mess with it.
Watch the official Dr Pepper commercial here.
She Got Her Bag
Let’s address what we all wanted to know. Yes, Romeo got paid. Dr Pepper licensed the jingle and is working with her on more content. When the video first blew up, fans in the comments were protective: “NO ONE buy Dr Pepper until she gets her check!”
She heard y’all. And so did Dr Pepper.
On January 19th, Romeo posted a playful video pretending to accept an award for “Best National Championship Commercial,” thanking her supporters, family, and friends. Houston rapper Paul Wall even commented on one of her posts with a laughing emoji: “It reminds me of this Dr Pepper commercial I saw.”
Why This Matters
In the 1960s, Dr Pepper hired a professional singer through a nationwide search to record their jingles in a studio. In 2026, the algorithm picked Romeo Bingham while she was sitting in her car.
That’s the shift.
A random person singing about something they genuinely love, with no script, no production team, no corporate approval, made a better commercial than the professionals. For free. Just because she felt like it.
And when a brand is smart enough to move fast and embrace that authenticity instead of trying to control it? Everybody wins.
Romeo went from caregiver in Tacoma to national commercial star in 23 days. Her friends used to tease her for ordering Dr Pepper “no ice” at restaurants. Now she’s getting checks from the brand.
“I was blown away once it took off like that,” she said. “I’m usually silly, and I know this is silly, but I really am genuinely thankful.”
We love to see it.
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