Lawrence Sullivan, A.K.A. "The Florida Joker", has gone viral in recent weeks after he shared multiple TikTok videos of himself, asking Rockstar Games to pay him millions of dollars after the first GTA 6 trailer seemingly used his appearance. The Florida-based man even recently dyed his hair purple, matching the hair color of the character in the trailer.
In one of his latest videos, he issued his "final warning" to Rockstar and asks for $5 million dollars, claiming that he and his Jewish lawyers will take legal action if Rockstar doesn't respond. Now, a new clip has recently surfaced showing an interview of Sullivan with popular Kick streamer Adin Ross. The clip, which was shared on the @GTAVI_Countdown X account, Sullivan explains why he needs the huge sum of money.
“I’m just tryna make it, so I can take care of my mom for one day of her life," Sullivan said in the video.
When Ross asked what he's doing for a living now, Sullivan said, "I don't do nothing. To be honest, my dad helps me."
Sullivan also said that he's open to working with Rockstar. "At least voice a character maybe," he said. He previously said that Rockstar is getting "free marketing" by parodying his appearance. In another of his earlier TikTok videos in which he compared one of his mugshots to a screenshot of a character in the trailer, he said, "Florida Joker ain't having that. Y'all took my likeness, Y'all took my life."
Does 'Florida Joker' have a chance to win in court against Rockstar?
According to a report from Business Insider, Sullivan may not stand much of a chance in court against Rockstar Games should he try to get money over his likeness through a lawsuit. In 2014, actress Lindsay Lohan sued the company, claiming a character in Grand Theft Auto V used her appearance, but the state supreme court of New York dismissed the lawsuit in 2016, ruling the developer never mentioned her name, featured her acting, or used her photo.
The court also said that Lohan would still not have been owed compensation even if it found her likeness had been used, explaining that advertising laws don't apply to works of fiction in the same way. “The images are not of Lohan herself, but merely the avatar in the game that Lohan claims is a depiction of her,” it argued.
Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled to launch for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. A PC is expected to release at a later date, but Rockstar hasn't officially confirmed any plans.
