It wasn't so long ago that Larry the Cable Guy, born Dan Whitney, seemed to be everywhere.
As part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, he entertained millions at stand-up gigs with
his down-home comedy and catchphrases like:
"Get er done!"
...and...
"I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there!"
He starred in a string of big-screen comedies, including Delta Farce, Witless Protection,
and the confusingly titled Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.
"Name's Larry, and I'm the Health Inspector!"
He's also released 10 albums, including the platinum-certified The Right to Bare Arms.
He even had his own travelogue show, Only in America, and was the subject of a Comedy
Central roast.
But what's become of Larry lately?
If you've missed him, you're not alone.
But he's actually been plenty busy — just not in the ways you might think.
Here's what he's been up to.
Pixar superstar
Larry is a superstar in Pixar land, having lent his voice to the Cars franchise's Mater,
the dim-witted, buck-toothed, kind-hearted tow truck who becomes the best friend of famous
race car Lightning McQueen.
Mater was the breakout character of the first Cars, a box office smash, so he and Larry
were the focus of Cars 2.
The plot: Mater inadvertently becomes a James Bond-style international spy.
You can probably guess how that went…
"Hey computer, make me a German truck!"
"Request acknowledged!"
"Check it out, I’m wearing Materhosen.
Make me a monster truck!"
"Request acknowledged!"
"What the…"
Larry the Commercial Guy
Instead of looking for Larry in the movies, you might be better off looking in the grocery
aisle.
Bektrom Foods, a company that makes Hamburger Helper-style dinners and other shelf-stable
foods, licensed Larry's likeness for use on a line of products sold in grocery and drugstores.
The result of that deal has seen Larry show up on a few dozen Bektrom items, including
Larry the Cable Guy Spicy Corn Muffin Mix and Larry the Cable Guy Cheesy Tuna Dinner,
among many, many others.
Meanwhile, a snack food company called Shearer's has also paid Whitney for its Larry the Cable
Guy Caramel & Peanuts Country Corn and a few different kinds of Larry the Cable Guy Tater
chips, including, but not limited to, Tater Salad, and Hollar-Peño Popper.
Larry didn't stop there: he also sells a line of kitchen knives, including a "Melon Cuttin'
Knife," a "Bonin' Knife," a "Slicin'" Knife, and, of course, a "Tater Peeler."
Ironically — or maybe inevitably — Larry's also been the longtime pitchman for Prilosec,
an over-the-counter medication to treat heartburn.
"'Cause it gives me a big fat zero heartburn, woo hoo!"
He walked away from Only in America
In 2011, Larry starred in a History Channel show called Only in America with Larry the
Cable Guy, which saw him travelling around the country to discover all the wild, interesting
stuff America has to offer.
He visited Amish country, hunted snakes, and tested lasers with the Army.
"You could cook a pot pie with that."
The show was a huge hit for History, but it was abruptly canceled after three seasons
— mainly because it's hard to make Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy without
Larry the Cable Guy.
There were two reasons he quit.
The first was an episode in which he had to clean portable toilets at a music festival
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He explained to a reporter:
"I didn't want to do it.
I mean, that was one of the nastiest things on the planet."
The other reason he walked away — as if he needed one, was that the show required
him to be on the road so much.
That, combined with a career as a touring stand-up comedian, pulled him away from his
family for as many as six days a week.
He chose his family, but the result was showing up on the small screen much less.
He's still making movies
While he's no longer starring in big-screen fish-out-of-water comedies like Health Inspector
or Witless Protection, Whitney is still making movies — just not ones you'll see in theaters.
Instead, direct your attention to your favorite streaming service, or the video rack at your
local Target.
Whitney took over for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Tooth Fairy 2 and for Arnold Schwarzenegger
in Jingle All the Way 2.
He also reunited with his Blue Collar Comedy Tour compatriot Jeff Foxworthy for the Netflix
original We've Been Thinking.
Larry the corporate guy
It's a little-discussed but incredibly lucrative side of professional comedy: well-known comedians
can get paid a fortune for "corporate gigs" where they're hired to be the entertainment
for a huge company's convention, annual meeting, or managerial retreat.
Even comedians who aren't as popular as they once were can pull in some serious cash on
this circuit.
Larry the Cable Guy makes a lot of these corporate appearances, and for his trouble, he's paid
at least in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $299,000—for each performance.
If you're not seeing Larry at your local comedy club, maybe that's because he's performing
at the annual retreat for In-N-Out Burger's board of directors.
Larry the charity guy
Larry’s made millions off his act and licensing deals — and he hasn't been shy about donating
that money to causes he believes in.
In his hometown of Pawnee City, Nebraska, he donated money to the city and his old high
school.
He's also a major patron of the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and its International
Hip Dysplasia Institute going back to 2007, when his son, Wyatt Whitney, was born with
the disorder.
Doctors there completely cured baby Wyatt of the issue, and Larry quietly donated lots
of money to the medical complex through appearances on celebrity editions of Are You Smarter Than
a Fifth Grader? and Family Feud.
In September 2010, he donated a whopping $5 million to the hospital, which how boasts
a Wyatt Whitney Wing.
Larry and his wife Cara also co-founded the Git-R-Done Foundation, which gits-r-done,
charity-wise, for causes affecting veterans and children.
Larry's actually making a huge difference — you just might not have heard all about
it.
What's next for Larry the Cable Guy
Because Larry the Cable Guy has become one of the most memorable characters in comedy,
millions of fans don't really care that he's not as hot as he once was.
Plus, he's set to reprise his role as Mater in the upcoming Cars 3.
So even if you don't see Larry as much as you used to, there's no question he'll still,
well, you know…
"Get er doneeee!"
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