Why Voiceover Actor Was Silenced By Geico Over Politcal Comments

Photo from the official blog site of D.C. Douglas.April 21, 2010: Lance Baxter, an actor who may be most famous for his voiceover work in a series of commercials for Geico, said he has been fired by the insurance company after he admittedly left an angry voicemail with a political organization.

Baxter, who works under the name D.C. Douglas, has confirmed that he left a message with FreedomWorks, the group that helps to organize "Tea Party" rallies. Among his comments left on a tape released by FreedomWorks, Baxter said, "What [are] the percentages of people that are mentally retarded who work for the organization and are members of it?" And he wondered how the group would "spin it when one of your members does actually kill somebody?"

Baxter's voice was heard in a series of Geico ads, from The Martin Agency, starring such celebrities as Joan Rivers, Little Richard, Peter Graves, Charo and Burt Bacharach, each of whom is paired with what Geico said were actual consumers. "[This] is a real Geico customer, not a paid celebrity," Baxter says at the beginning of some of the spots. "So to help tell [their] story, we hired a real actor."  Baxter then says at the end of each spot, "Geico. Real service. Real savings."

In a statement, Baxter, who also has done work for McDonald's and other companies, said he was dropped from the upcoming Geico "Shocking News" campaign "after a group of Tea Party members harassed him and the insurance giant over a private voicemail [he] left for FreedomWorks." According to Baxter, Matt Kibbe, President and CEO of Freedom Works, posted Baxter's cell phone number on a Web site "instructing readers to 'Feel free to contact [him] . . .  call his employer too. Let them know that you . . . are now in the market for car insurance.' "

Baxter said that Geico subsequently "held auditions to replace [his] voice on the campaign." Neither Geico or The Martin Agency have as yet offered any statement on the situation. But Baxter himself stated, "I do want to make one thing clear. "I don't blame Geico for protecting themselves. They have a business to run and can't waste time getting caught up in FreedomWorks' circus. And they've been very good to me in the past."

Baxter said in his statement that  "I called as a private citizen to make a complaint. Racism and homophobia are my Achilles heal, but unfortunately my message included inappropriate words and I am sorry for that. However, telling their members to harass my employer to get me fired is an egregiously disproportionate response to my actions."

According to Baxter, he has "consulted with several Los Angeles attorneys . . . Though [I'm] not planning on spending money to sue the organization, [I'm] open to any attorneys taking on this case pro bono."

Back to Home Page