When Rockstar Games released the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI on Monday night fans noticed the real-world references in the video, including a shot of a character that seemingly referenced Lawrence Sullivan – aka “Florida Joker". Now, Sullivan has responded in a 22-second video, telling Rockstar “we gotta talk.”
The 90-second first trailer of GTA 6 officially confirms that rumors that the game will take place in Leonida, which is basically Rockstar's fictionalized version of Florida. It didn't take long for fans to notice the hilarious real-life Florida-related references shown in the trailer. One of them shows a Joker-looking character with purple hair and face tattoos and wearing what appears to be orange prison uniform. This seemed to be a reference to Sullivan, a tattoo model who drew plenty of online attention after his mugshot went viral in 2017. He was called "Florida Joker" due to his face tattoos and green hair.
The version in GTA 6 trailer, shown in a quick shot of news footage, has similar look but there are noticeable differences: different face tattoos, and purple hair instead of green
'Florida Joker' isn't happy the GTA 6 trailer seemingly referenced him
On Tuesday, Sullivan acknowledged the GTA 6 trailer in a TikTok.
“You know they got that character with the face tattoos, you know who they got that inspired by? By me,” Sullivan said. “Just look me up, Florida Joker. You know what I’m talking about.”
Sullivan concluded his rant by winking at the camera and issuing some strong words for the studio over his portrayal.
“GTA, we gotta talk,” he said.
At this point, it's unclear if Rockstar was in contact with Sullivan about the "Florida Joker" reference in GTA 6 or how big or a role this character will have in the game, but hopefully, the second trailer, which isn't expected to come anytime soon, will show more of this parody.
Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled to launch sometime in 2025 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
