Vince Offer is more of a household name than you probably realize, but he's probably best
known as The ShamWow and Slap Chop Guy, and he sort of vanished after his 2009 run-in
with a “Cannibal Hooker.”
So, where has Billy Mayes’ infomercial successor been since he last guaranteed that we'd..
Well, we're here to find out.
Born in Beersheba, Israel in 1964, Vince Offer may have become one of television’s most
memorable infomercial sponsors, but his career before that is less fun to talk about.
In 1999, Offer directed and starred in The Underground Comedy Movie, a film often considered
one of the worst of all time and a large factor in his 2002 bankruptcy.
The film led to several lawsuits filed by Vince against a variety of far more recognizable
names.
He sued 20th Century Fox for scenes that were allegedly lifted from The Underground Comedy
Movie and used in There’s Something About Mary.
Offer’s case was dismissed and had to pay Fox’s attorney fees of $66,336.
Offer also pointed a finger at Anna Nicole Smith, suing her for $4 million after she
agreed to, and subsequently refused to, appear in his bomb of a movie.
The case settled and, four years later, Offer was back in his lawyer’s office, this time
aiming to sue the Church of Scientology, who was said to have launched a smear campaign
against the film and its creator.
The former Scientologist painted an unpleasant picture of the church threatening his fellow
Hollywood Scientologists and their careers.
The lawsuit, however, never picked up steam.
Financial turmoil and a collection of lawsuits aside, in 2006, Offer successfully entered
the infomercial scene and the homes of many with “ShamWow” and, from there, enjoyed
a string of success.
Then allegations of him beating up an alleged hooker smeared his name and dragged his credibility
through the dirt in early 2009.
After Offer’s “Schticky” situation cleared, in an interview with NBC news he attributed
the defamation of character and unflattering mugshot to having saved his life.
The rising infomercial star discussed his quick ascent and sudden fall from grace and
commented on his hopeful return to the limelight.
In 2014, with tongue in-tact, his wish came true and he was back on television sets everywhere
with his new product “InVinceable.”
Vince attests that he had almost completely cut alcohol out of his life, for which he
blamed his wilder escapades, and enjoys little more than the occasional glass of wine.
Now married to his spouse, Melody Claire Mandate since 2014, it seems he may have finally put
his life of debauchery behind him.
Today, his career is looking a bit more stable as he has taken small steps outside the world
of television advertising and into movies, appearing as himself in Adam Sandler’s Jack
and Jill in 2011 and two years later in InAPPropriate Comedy, which he also helped write and direct.
Rumor has it he may even be appearing in the 2017 comedy, The Clapper.
During an NBC interview, Vince stated that "People understand you make mistakes in life,"
following up with, "Hopefully, I won't make another mistake."
So far, it seems he’s been able to stay true to his words, though, well, if he happens
to slip up, maybe his multi-surface cleaner, InVinceable, has the ability to wipe his public
perception clean.
If you need your daily dose of Vince Offer and his World-Famous nuts, you can see him
in commercials for his very own previously mentioned product, InVinceable.
Otherwise, Offer’s time in the spotlight has been pretty low key since his man-eating
hooker run-in.