Larry the Cable Guy says DirecTV missed obvious ad opportunity, decries corporate ‘hypocrisy’

Comedian Larry the Cable Guy says corporate America applies a double standard when deciding which entertainers are too controversial for advertising campaigns, and he is directing much of his frustration at DirecTV.

Daniel Whitney, the comedian’s real name, made the remarks on the MeatEater Podcast, in an episode released Oct. 12 and recorded at a University of Nebraska homecoming football game, as Fox News reported Saturday.

Mr. Whitney recalled seeing DirecTV commercials that featured a well-known actor years ago and wondering why the satellite-TV provider did not hire him. The pitch, he said, practically wrote itself: “Larry the Cable Guy is switching to DirecTV.” A podcast host agreed it would have been a hit.

Mr. Whitney suggested that corporations might have considered his Southern accent and occasionally controversial humor unsuitable for a national advertising campaign. He did not say whether DirecTV had formally considered hiring him.

He rejected that reasoning. He argued that rappers who sing about killing police officers and make degrading remarks about women land corporate deals regularly, and he asked how he could be considered the controversial one by comparison. He did not tie those remarks to any one artist.

As an example of a rapper who has landed major endorsements, he named Snoop Dogg, who has appeared in major advertising campaigns, including Super Bowl commercials. Mr. Whitney stressed that he holds nothing against Snoop Dogg and is happy for other entertainers’ success. His objection, he said, is with companies that call one performer too controversial and then embrace another he considers more so.

“There’s a lot of hypocrisy in corporate, who they get and who they don’t get,” he said. He said he has had a good career and is not worried about it, but remains frustrated that DirecTV did not use what he considered an obvious advertising opportunity.

Mr. Whitney, who has said he grew up on a pig farm in southeast Nebraska, built a national following with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour alongside Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. His “Git-R-Done” catchphrase and blue-collar persona launched a career spanning stand-up, comedy albums, movies and television, including voicing Mater in the animated “Cars” franchise.