The 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brought out the stars, floats, and balloons on Thursday, as part of the 2025 TV schedule, including some surprises. This included Law & Order icons Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni. And I love that their appearance came with them rocking the viral Starbucks bear glass.
Earlier this month, to get customers ready for the holidays, Starbucks released a glass bear cup that included a straw and a little cute Starbucks hat as the lid. The company only released very limited quantities in every store. People were waiting in line for hours before the café opened and were going nuts over the collectible. So much so that some were detailing their experiences on TikTok, and even sharing how baristas bought them or hid them before customers had a chance.
Of course, with their NBC connection and promotion of Starbucks, Hargitay and Meloni were each able to get their hands on a Bearista cup. Meloni couldn’t help but show off their cups on Instagram, and I have an inkling that even if it wasn’t for a promotion, he would still proudly show off the cup because who wouldn’t?
Both Hargitay and Meloni popped up during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote Starbucks, which was on the parade route. During their appearance, they talked about the different flavors that Starbucks has and wanted to give some hot drinks to the crowd outside, which were later shown holding Starbucks cups – just not the Bearista ones.
It’s unknown if these cups are actually Hargitay and Meloni’s or if they were just for show, but either way, I’m absolutely loving it. As long as these cups don’t find their way to Law & Order by way of a Game of Thrones-like mistake.
Meanwhile, it’s always great to see Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni together, regardless of the reason. The two have been close since the very beginning of Law & Order: SVU, when their audition sparked instant chemistry. Even with Organized Crime moving to Peacock, Olivia and Elliot have still managed to find their way to each other on both shows. Whether or not that will continue into the new year as SVU Season 27 continues is unknown, but it wouldn’t be surprising if fans saw Elliot again.
With the holiday season in full force, some people may be lucky enough to curl up with their Starbucks Bearista cup and settle in with some Law & Order, streaming with a Peacock subscription. There are many Olivia and Elliot moments that fans can look back on and plenty of moments that Hargitay and Meloni will continue to bring in the new year, whether on screen or on social media, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for them.