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Larry the Cable Guy

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This article is about the comedian. For the film, see The Cable Guy.

Larry the Cable Guy
Whitney in 2007
Birth nameDaniel Lawrence Whitney
Born (1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 61)
Pawnee City, Nebraska, U.S.[1]
MediumStand-up, television, film, radio, books
Years active1991–present
GenresCharacter comedy, blue comedy, insult comedy, observational comedy, political satire
Subject(s)Southern culture, American politics, obesity, human sexuality, political correctness, self-deprecation, family, personal hygiene, current events
Spouse
Cara Whitney
​
(m. 2005)​
Children2
Notable works and roles
Websitelarrythecableguy.com

Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963),[1] known professionally as Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and former radio personality.[2] He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which included Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy (with whom he has starred on Blue Collar TV).

"Larry the Cable Guy" Says "Git-r-Done!" and Watch NASA TV – video from NASA

Whitney has released seven comedy albums, two of which have been certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 1,000,000 copies and one of which has been certified gold for shipments of 500,000 copies.[3] He has starred in three Blue Collar Comedy Tour related films, alongside Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Delta Farce and Witless Protection, and provides the voice of Mater in Disney's Cars franchise. Whitney's catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" is also the title of his book.

Early life

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Dan Whitney was born in Nebraska to Tom and Shirley Whitney, and grew up on an 80-acre farm outside Pawnee City, Nebraska.[4][5] His father was a Christian minister. When he was 16, his family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida.[6] Whitney attended high school at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1970s through 1980[7][8][9] where his father was the elementary school principal.[10] He graduated from Berean Christian School in West Palm Beach in 1982 where he played football.[11] He went to college at Baptist University of America in Georgia, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He majored in drama and speech. He credits his roommates from Texas and Georgia for inspiring his Southern accent impression.[12] He dropped out after his junior year after trying his hand at comedy.[12]

Career

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Radio career

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Whitney started his career in radio in the early 1990s when he made regular radio appearances on the nationally syndicated program, The Ron and Ron Show, as well as other radio shows such as The Bob & Tom Show, Wakin' Up with the Wolf on WPDH, The Chris Baker Show on KDGE and KEZO's The Todd and Tyler Radio Empire in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as the Kirk, Mark, and Lopez morning show on WIYY in Baltimore, Maryland. He was also a frequent guest on The Johnny Dare Morning Show on 98.9/KQRC, Kansas City, Missouri.

He also appeared on WJRR in Orlando, Florida. He was brought to New England on Greg and the Morning Buzz on WHEB 100.3 and WGIR-FM 101.1 in Portsmouth and Manchester, New Hampshire, respectively, doing two commentaries a week.

Stand-up career

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Larry the Cable Guy in performance at the Resch Center in Green Bay in 2015

Initially performing stand-up under his real name with limited success, he became famous after developing the Cable Guy character, a personality that he now maintains throughout his stage act. The Cable Guy character has a stereotypical redneck appearance and a thick Southern accent, recounts stories about his "family", and uses, among other common expressions, his own catchphrase "Git-R-Done!"

He says in interviews and in his autobiographical book GIT-R-DONE that he deliberately "turns on" the accent both on and off stage, because he may forget it if he kept his normal accent intact.[13] He uses catchphrase humor, including "Lord, I apologize for that, there, and be with the starvin' Pygmies in New Guinea. Amen," after telling jokes of questionable taste; and, "I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there," after jokes that evoke raucous laughter.

His first two comedy albums, Lord, I Apologize (2001) and The Right to Bare Arms (2005), have both been certified gold by the RIAA. A third album, Morning Constitutions, and its accompanying TV special were released in 2007.

Other work

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Whitney was roasted in a Comedy Central special on March 15, 2009.[14]

On February 8, 2011, the premiere of his newest travelogue series, Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, was broadcast on the History Channel. A total of 4.1 million viewers, 1.7 million adults 25–54, tuned in, nearly doubling the total for the "Top Shot" season 2 opener.[15] During season two in the episode "Larry Goes To Washington", Whitney was the first on-air talent from a non-news crew allowed in the War Room, also known as the Command Center, as he explained during the program. The series finale aired August 28, 2013.

In June 2012, Disneyland's California Adventure theme park's "Cars Land" features a ride called "Mater's Junkyard Jamboree" that features Whitney's voice as his character Mater from the Disney/Pixar Cars films.[16]

Bektrom Foods of North Dakota developed a line of Larry the Cable Guy food products, such as boxed hamburger dinners, with some of the proceeds from its sales benefiting the "Git-R-Done Foundation".[17][18]

Whitney competed in season six of The Masked Singer as the wild card contestant "Baby" which was the show's first human character.

Personal life

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Whitney and his wife Cara married in 2005.[19][20] They have a son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Reagan.[21] The Whitney family resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, on a 180-acre (73 ha) farm. The couple started the Git-R-Done Foundation in 2009 to provide assistance to those that have experienced hardships beyond their control.[22][23] Whitney is a Christian who re-committed to his faith in 2014.[23][24]

Whitney's hometown of Pawnee City, Nebraska, has a street named after him. Whitney also donated money to buy new theatrical equipment for the local high school.[25]

Whitney is an avid Nebraska Cornhuskers football fan. His signature camouflage hat has the University of Nebraska–Lincoln nickname "HUSKERS" emblazoned on it, as seen in the 2007 film Delta Farce. He is also frequently seen with a gold Nebraska "N" on a chain around his neck. On October 1, 2016, in his luxury suite at Memorial Stadium during the Nebraska vs. Illinois football game, Whitney was challenged to an arm wrestling match by an Army veteran and Nebraska Army National Guard member, John O'Connell, who lost the match in less than one minute with his arm (humerus) broken by Whitney.[26][27][28]

Whitney is also an avid REO Speedwagon fan. In 2013, he appeared with the group, including a benefit concert in Bloomington, Illinois, for tornado disaster relief.[29]

In September 2010, Whitney donated $5 million to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida. The gift was for further development of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute at the Orlando hospital. After Dr. Chad Price at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children helped cure their son, Wyatt, of his dysplasia when he was an infant, Whitney and his wife, Cara, made private donations to the hospital and Whitney raised money through appearances on Family Feud and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

The hospital opened a new wing called the Wyatt Whitney Wing in May 2012.

Whitney is also the proud owner of a George Strait neon sign that he bought backstage at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth, Texas.[19]

Whitney endorsed Gary Johnson for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[30]

In June 2023, claims that Whitney had died at age 60 surfaced. This was later confirmed to be a hoax.[31]

Radio shows

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Whitney currently works as a radio personality for Sirius XM's Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup channel.[32]

Discography

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Title Album details Peak chart
positions 		Certifications
US US Country US Comedy
Law and Disorder[33]
  • Release date: February 10, 1995
  • Label: Self-released
 — — —
Salutations and Flatulations[34]
  • Release date: September 29, 1997
  • Label: DJT Records
 — — —
Lord, I Apologize
  • Release date: October 30, 2001
  • Label: Hip-O Records
 — 53 1
A Very Larry Christmas
  • Release date: November 16, 2004
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 43 8 1
The Right to Bare Arms
  • Release date: March 29, 2005
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 7 1 1
Morning Constitutions
  • Release date: April 3, 2007
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 16 5 1
Christmastime in Larryland
  • Release date: October 3, 2007
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 42 12 1
Tailgate Party
  • Release date: September 22, 2009
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 71 19 1
The Best of Larry the Cable Guy
  • Release date: November 16, 2010
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
 72 4
Them Idiots: Whirled Tour
(with Bill Engvall and Jeff Foxworthy)
  • Release date: March 13, 2012
  • Label: Warner Music Nashville
 45 1
We've Been Thinking (with Jeff Foxworthy)
  • Release date: September 29, 2017
  • Label: Comedy Dynamics, Netflix
 — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
  • A Box set consisting of The Right to Bare Arms, Christmastime in Larryland, and Morning Constitutions.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie Larry Documentary
2004 Larry the Cable Guy: Git-R-Done TV movie
Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again TV documentary
2006 Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Cars Mater Voice
Mater and the Ghostlight Voice; short film
Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road Larry TV movie
2007 Delta Farce
2008 Witless Protection Deputy Larry Stalder
2009 The Comedy Central Roast of Larry the Cable Guy Himself
Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau TV movie
2010 Larry the Cable Guy: Tailgate Party
2011 Cars 2 Mater Voice
2012 Them Idiots: Whirled Tour Himself
Tooth Fairy 2 Larry Guthrie
2013 A Madea Christmas Buddy
2014 Jingle All the Way 2 Larry Phillips Direct-to-video
CMT Artists of the Year Host
2016 Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy: We've Been Thinking Himself Documentary
2017 Cars 3 Mater Voice
2020 Remain Seated Himself Stand-up special

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2004–2006 Blue Collar TV Cast member
2008–2012 Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales Mater Voice; 11 short films
2009 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Himself Episode: "3.13"
2011–2013 Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy Host
2013 Bounty Hunters Larry
2013–2014 Cars Toons: Tales From Radiator Springs Mater Voice; 2 short films
2020 Cruisin' With the Huskers Host
2021 The Masked Singer Himself/Baby Season 6 contestant; Eliminated in fourth episode
2021 Yellowstone Officer (Uncredited) Season 4 Episode 1 'Half the Money'
2022 Cars on the Road Mater Voice; Disney+ Original Short Series
As producer
Year Title Notes
2007 Larry the Cable Guy: Morning Constitutions TV movie
Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular
2008 Larry the Cable Guy's Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza TV special
2009 The Comedy Central Roast of Larry the Cable Guy TV documentary
Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau TV movie
2010 Larry the Cable Guy: Tailgate Party
2013 Bounty Hunters TV series; 8 episodes
2011–2013 Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy 50 episodes
2016 Jeff Foxworthy & Larry the Cable Guy: We've Been Thinking TV documentary

Video games

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Year Title Role
2006 Cars Mater
Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
2007 Cars Mater-National Championship
2009 Cars Race-O-Rama
2010 Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales[36][37]
2010–2012 The World of Cars Online
2011 Cars 2
2012 Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure
2013 Disney Infinity
2014 Cars: Fast as Lightning
Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0

Theme park attractions

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Year Title Role
2012–present Radiator Springs Racers Mater
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
2019–present Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy

Awards and nominations

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Year Nominated work Category Result
Golden Raspberry Awards
2007 Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector Worst Actor Nominated
2009 Witless Protection Worst Actor Nominated
Worst Screen Couple (with Jenny McCarthy) Nominated
2014 A Madea Christmas Worst Screen Combo (with Tyler Perry) Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor Nominated
Grammy Award
2006 The Right to Bare Arms Best Comedy Album Nominated
2007 Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road Nominated
Visual Effects Society
2007 Cars Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture Won

References

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  1. ^ a b Jones, Loyal (2008). Country music humorists and comedians. University of Illinois Press. p. 236. ISBN 9780252033698.
  2. ^ "Larry the Cable Guy". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2007. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  3. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Kobelik, Jeff (October 7, 2005). "Larry the Cable Guy Returns to Nebraska to Kick off His 'Right to Bare Arms Tour'". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 14. ...Larry was born in Nebraska and lived his first 16 years on an 80-acre farm outside Pawnee City...
  5. ^ "Larry The Cable Guy Biography". Cmt.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "For Pig Farmer-Turned Superstar, Life is All About Faith, Family and Football - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site". Huskers.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  7. ^ "5 Reasons to See Larry the Cable Guy at the Kravis". Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "The King's Academy 1980 Yearbook, page 59" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  9. ^ "The King's Academy 1979 Yearbook, page 63" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  10. ^ "The King's Academy 1980 Yearbook, page 23" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  11. ^ "CNN – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos". Archived from the original on October 11, 2014.
  12. ^ a b William Booth (September 5, 2004). "Guffaw Guys". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  13. ^ An Interview with Larry the Cable Guy, Dead-Frog.com, June 15, 2005
  14. ^ "Comedy Central To Rip More Than Flannel Sleeves – Network To Roast Larry The Cable Guy". Comedycentral.com. May 26, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  15. ^ 'Only In America with Larry the Cable Guy' Premieres to 4.1 Million Viewers; 'Top Shot' S2 Premieres to 2.8 Million. Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com (February 9, 2011). Retrieved on July 23, 2012.
  16. ^ Mater's Junkyard Jamboree Archived May 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved on July 23, 2012.
  17. ^ "Bektrom Foods, Inc.: Larry the Cable Guy". Bektrom Foods, Inc. January 14, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  18. ^ Hatt, Elizabeth Louise (January 4, 2012). "Store Brands Stay Strong". Grocery Headquarters. New York City. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Larry the Cable Guy gives $5 million to hospital". Articles.orlandosentinel.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  20. ^ "Madison Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  21. ^ "Larry the Cable Guy and family at home". Parents. People. Meredith Corporation. March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. ^ Weiss, Michelle (June 24, 2011). "Git-R-Done Foundation's wide reach". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Larry the Cable Guy shares jokes and his heart at special Veterans Day Convocation » Liberty News". Liberty News. November 11, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  24. ^ "Larry the Cable Guy Shares Love for the Bible With Pastor David Jeremiah". The Christian Post. April 29, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  25. ^ Jeff Korbelik / Gzo (July 3, 2009). "Larry the Cable Guy still has hometown pride". Journalstar.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  26. ^ Ernst, Douglas (October 7, 2016). "Larry the Cable Guy breaks Army vet's humerus while arm wrestling: 'I'm retiring from arm wrestling after this'". Washington Times. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  27. ^ Huff, Steve (October 8, 2016). "Arm-Wrestling Larry the Cable Guy". Maxim. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  28. ^ Matteson, Cory (March 30, 2017). "Larry the Cable Guy recounts arm wrestling that went awry". Journal Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  29. ^ "Dan Whitney sheds Larry the Cable Guy persona for Q&A | Charlotte Observer". www.charlotteobserver.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  30. ^ "Larry the Cable Guy: "I'm a Trump man and when I say 'Trump Man,' I mean Gary Johnson"". August 31, 2016.
  31. ^ Faulkner, Trisha (July 24, 2023). "Larry The Cable Guy Dead At 60?". MSN. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  32. ^ "Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup". SiriusXM. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  33. ^ "Law and Disorder". Discogs. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  34. ^ "Salutations and Flatulations". Discogs. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  35. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Larry the Cable Guy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  36. ^ "Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales". GameFAQs. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  37. ^ "Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales". IGN. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
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