Real-Life Florida Joker Calls Out GTA 6
The first trailer for "Grand Theft Auto 6" premiered earlier this week, sending gamers into a frenzy and letting them loose on an excited easter egg hunt. Among the small details that "GTA" fans have found in the new trailer, viewers have pointed out multiple references to real-life "Florida Man" incidents, in which citizens of Florida have been arrested for various wild acts. Viewers were also quick to note the similarities between a tattooed perp in the trailer and a man the internet has taken to calling "the Florida Joker."
For those not in the know, Lawrence Sullivan is a tattoo model from Florida who went viral on the internet when his mugshot and a clip of a court appearance made their way online. The man's green hair and the tattoos all over his face reminded netizens of DC Comics' Clown Prince of Crime, earning him his nickname. At one point in the trailer, a man with purple hair, an orange jumpsuit, and copious facial tattoos appears as part of a montage of crime reports. Look familiar?
Did @RockstarGames actually put the Florida joker in #GTAVI pic.twitter.com/UXtv6zdQpl
— 🐶Dogeboy-;☃️Follows back🎄 (@TheDogeLegend) December 8, 2023
The Florida Joker doppleganger looks to be among the many strange characters in the new version of Vice City, joining the ranks of endangered animal control officials and ladies dancing on top of speeding vehicles seen in the trailer. It remains to be seen whether or not this character will play an actual role in the storyline of the game, as it could just be a gag cooked up for the first trailer. However, that's not the biggest topic of conversation surrounding the Florida Joker at this moment. Meme-lords weren't the only ones to draw a connection between Lawrence Sullivan and the guy in "GTA 6" trailer, however. Not long after the trailer hit YouTube, Sullivan himself uploaded a video calling Rockstar out.
'GTA, we gotta talk'
In a TikTok video that has been shared all over social media, Lawrence Sullivan (a.k.a. the Florida Joker) has expressed his apparent surprise at seeing a character resembling him in the trailer for "Grand Theft Auto 6." He made it very clear that he doesn't think this character design is a coincidence, saying, "You know they got that character with the face tattoos, you know who they got that inspired by? By me. Just look me up: Florida Joker, Miami Joker ... 'GTA,' we gotta talk."
@lawrence.sullivan0 #florida #jokerchallenge #gta6 #gta6trailer #gta6new #facetattoo
It remains to be seen whether Rockstar Games will reach out to Sullivan or not, but fans on social media have been fascinated to see these two worlds colliding. It's not often that a viral video and the most-anticipated video game of all time have this kind of crossover before the game is even out. Some have started sharing images of the Miami Joker side-by-side with the footage from the "GTA 6" trailer, and the similarities are uncanny. Of course, as per usual for the developer, Rockstar Games has remained silent on the matter, not even confirming where the devs got the inspiration for this character. It doesn't seem like this silence is sitting particularly well with Lawrence Sullivan, however.
The Florida Joker makes his demands
A few days after his first clip, Sullivan posted another video to TikTok to draw further attention to his displeasure with Rockstar. In the video, he has pulled up several YouTube videos that have likewise compared the "GTA 6" trailer to his real-life image. "To everybody saying that I'm hallucinating ... That's me," Sullivan says. "That's the person they got the inspiration from." He added, "We gotta talk, 'GTA.' We gotta talk. Or not, you gotta give me like a mill or two."
@lawrence.sullivan0 #gta6 #gta6new #gtaonline #gta6joker #florida #maimijoker #gta6 #floridajoker #miami #305 #727 #gta6trailer #thejoker #facetattoos #jokersmile #dc #fyp #joker
While some commenters are encouraging Sullivan to continue reaching out to Rockstar Games, others are unsure. One popular comment on TikTok quipped, "should DC sue you for taking the Joker as your likeness?" Some have joked that Rockstar might have to pay the Florida Joker in "GTA Online" Shark Cards. Others have taken a more serious approach, pointing out that this character in the trailer might be considered a parody or a tribute, but that Rockstar is not obligated to respond to Sullivan's videos.
Rockstar Games has a history of drawing from the real world in creating its stories and characters, so the Florida Joker comparison may be dead-on. Not only have real people played themselves in "GTA" games — like comedian Ricky Gervais and musician Phil Collins — but fans have long believed that characters like CJ and Sweet Johnson from "San Andreas" are based on real rappers. It has yet to be confirmed whether or not Rockstar specifically based the perp in the "GTA 6" trailer on the Florida Joker, but it certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.