‘Florida Joker’ Demands a Massive Rockstar Payday for Using Likeness in GTA 6!
Neither Rockstar nor Sullivan have provided any information that would indicate they have contacted the other or whether a compromise has been struck.
According to Florida ‘Joker,’ whose photo went viral because of his tattoos, Rockstar Games—the studio behind the Grand Theft Auto video game series—used his likeness in the trailer for the most recent installment. He is suing Rockstar Games for $2 million, claiming that the video game used his likeness without permission in Grand Theft Auto 6.
On its first day on YouTube, the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer had more views than any other non-music video before it. Variety reports that it earned over 93 million.
Not long after the teaser debuted, viewers saw a moment where a nude man being chased by police and another clip where an alligator walks into a convenience store. In a TikTok video, Florida Joker—real name Lawrence Sullivan—said that the tattooed man in the videos is an inspiration.
Following his arrest in 2017 for allegedly brandishing a firearm at passing automobiles in Miami, Mr. Sullivan’s mugshot went viral. His most recent TikTok video features him claiming, “Out your goddamn nuggets” to anyone who doesn’t recognize a resemblance between him and the tattooed man in the trailer. “Everyone, we need to have a conversation,” he continues. Then you’d better hand up a million or two. Sullivan displays a photograph of his mugshot next to a trailer screenshot of a video game character with comparable facial tattoos in the video. Joker from Florida isn’t having that, he declares. You stole my image. You killed me. Hi, I’m that person. That individual greatly influenced them. There I am.
Many commenters have pointed out that Sullivan has taken on a Joker persona based on a particular character portrayal and most likely does not have Warner Bros.’s consent to profit from it. “Florida Joker ain’t having that,” Sullivan says as he concludes, assuring everyone. “You took away not only my image but also you took my life.“