Geico FIRES D.C. Douglas: Voice Actor Dropped After Insulting FreedomWorks, Tea Partiers

Lance Baxter, better known as D.C. Douglas but perhaps best known as the voice of certain Geico commercials (primarily as the tag announcer of a 2007-2008 celebrity ad campaign) has been fired by the insurance company after leaving a voicemail for Tea Party group FreedomWorks.

Douglas asked FreedomWorks in his voicemail what "the percentage of people that are mentally retarded who are working for FreedomWorks and who are following it," or as he has since put it, he "inquired as to their intelligence level."

In the voicemail, Douglas also questions how FreedomWorks will "spin it when one of your members does actually kill somebody, wondering if you've got a PR spinning routine planned for that or are you just gonna take it when it happens."

In the aftermath, FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe published a post on the conservative website biggovernment.com, providing readers with a recording of the voicemail -- which included Douglas's personal phone number -- and encouraging people to call both Douglas and Geico to "[l]et them know that you, in fact, are not a mentally retarded killer."

According to a press release from Wednesday, Geico held auditions to replace Douglas the next day.

Douglas has since acknowledged that such an impulsive move was "STUPID!," but says he was impassioned by the "slurs the Tea Party crowd angrily yelled at Barney Frank, et al," during the climax of health care reform.

He also holds no grudge against his former employer, saying in the press release: "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."

Comments

[netsez]

04:38 AM on 05/20/2010

Would the people here angry at Geico feel the same way if Lance had insulted Code Pink or the NAACP? I bet not.

[Opus Loki]

11:55 PM on 05/22/2010

When the NAACP promotes carrying guns to rallies and shoutiong hateful remarks at passers bys then yeah. Tea Party=NAACP? ROFLMFO

[ghost geezer]

09:45 PM on 05/18/2010

There is only one species of reptile that I want to see extinct. Hooray for Lance Baxter.
Geico's advertising is naked psychological warfare. The ads are constructed to get Geico's
name into the listener's ear faster than he can reach for the snuff button. This kind of media
blitz is amoral, indifferent to the small, pervasive insult that it delivers to daily quality of life.

So seeing today that Geico has done this does not at all surprise me. Do remember the
name of that company. Shun it.

[MIKEinNYC]

11:23 AM on 05/17/2010

On his own time he's not allowed to do or say what he wants at the risk of losing his job? This is America?

[marylandtravelinman]

11:37 AM on 05/17/2010

No, this is capitilism.

[allamericanboy]

01:43 PM on 05/18/2010

Exactly what I thought, MIKE. I thought we had freedom of speech?? I mean, have they heard the things Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, et al., say about me as a liberal? And that's while they are on the time clock. And yes, I defend their right to say those things. As I defend this guy's. If I had a GEICO policy, I'd be cancelling right now.

[bobcollum]

01:57 PM on 05/18/2010

" If I had a GEICO policy, I'd be cancelling right now."

Exactly why he was let go. Beck can do that because part of his job is to spread that bs. Geico sells insurance, and has the right to terminate an employee that acts in a detrimental way towards the company.

[GranE]

10:44 AM on 05/17/2010

GEICO can't replace this guy, we know his voice as our favorite character on TV. Sorry guys, you blew it. Back to the old ho-hum.

[Joan Coltrane]

10:54 AM on 05/03/2010

I think it's stupid of GEICO to fire someone over something like that. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO FREE SPEECH??? Certainly the Tea Partyers are saying ignorant, unfounded, degrading things about members of Congress and of the President of these United States. How could GEICO even get involved in something like that when we are allowing such behavior from these ignorant people like Sarah Palin and her clan. I'm going to ask GEICO myself! Everyone should be up in arms about that. This guy has the right to ask anything of these idiots and he should not feel bad about it. PLEASE!!

[D.C. Douglas]

03:22 PM on 04/29/2010

Wrapping up the events of the last week: http://www.myvoiceoverguy.com/voice-over/cleaning-circus/

[kwbryson]

07:18 PM on 04/28/2010

I found a way to respond to "FreedomWorks" -- I am a relative conservative (aka liberal in Texas) and I "contributed" one dollar to FreedomWorks with a comment that, according to my understanding of the significance of a one dollar contribution, it would cost them more to document that one dollar contribution in their accounting requirements system than it was worth. My intent, as I explained to them, with the one dollar donation is to protest their vitriolic response to a humorous albeit somewhat juvenile political comment. And I also told my one family member to cancel the only Geico policy in my household or that individual could not use the cars which I own and that person does not own. And I did tell Geico about my communication to the family member despite D.C. Douglas' observation that Geico was not deserving of negative calls. I am a conservative -- FreedomWorks appears to be fascists in comparison.

[kmarsh]

10:46 AM on 04/27/2010

Anyone who was for Don Imus to be fired for his insensitive comments but opposes Lance's termination for his disgusting and insensitive comments is merely showing their true hypocriscy.

[biancardi]

01:34 PM on 05/17/2010

difference is that Lance did his on his own private time. Imus aired his comments on national radio

[whocarsabout]

02:05 PM on 04/25/2010

You are all freaks. Both sides are so full of extreme left/right wing agendasand hatred that REAL conversation about REAL problems and REAL solutions is overshadowed by all your rhetorical and biased B******T. Grow up already and stop with the name calling and fingerpointing. Do you remember the phrase "plays well with others?"

[tnunnster]

12:06 AM on 04/27/2010

Irony = Calling people freaks then telling them to grow up and stop with the name calling.

Thanks for the laugh!

[jokr8790]

08:35 AM on 04/25/2010

Yes, he had a right to leave the voice mail (although I don't favor his choice of phrases, intellectually bereft or intellectually and ethically challenged might have been both more accurate and appropriate) and I suppose legally GEICO did have a right to fire him for speaking out. I suppose this also means that if I have a teabagger working for me I can also fire him for holding his opinions, but I also have a right not to do business with GEICO and I won't from here on. My daughter has GEICO and we'll be switching insurance companies.

[ynot4tony]

09:06 AM on 04/27/2010

The Geico spokesman did more than "share an opinion", genius.

He mocked the mentally handicapped, accused others of violence that hasn't been committed, and brought very public ridicule to the company he worked for.

Your suggestion to fire a teabagger for "holding his opinions". Thought Police much there, slappy?

[ikidunot]

12:34 PM on 04/29/2010

Correct. It's amazing how so many libs seem to think their slurs and insults are beyond criticism.

[JCC1]

07:51 AM on 05/17/2010

I listened to the ad and it sounded to me like he was mocking FreedomWorks, not the mentally retarded. Unless one feels that it is an insult to the mentally retarded to assume they would be foolish enough to support FreedomWorks, of course.

[ediva75]

04:45 PM on 04/24/2010

Wow the formerly known as Geeko of Geico doesn't like Freedomworks. Understandably so Geico fired the guy but wow!! Hope people who admire what this guy did bring him on board to help out in voice ads!!! RIGHT ON!!!

[PeterZelig]

11:15 AM on 04/24/2010

I find the level of vitriol and misinformation amongst many in the tea party infuriating, however it is unacceptable to use the excuse of anger as an excuse for insulting a person or organization with the slur "mental retardation." It insults not only those involved in or affected by the developmentally disabled community. I think GEICO made the right choice here, even if it seemingly sided with the false "movement" of tea partiers.

[FabulousPoodle]

09:46 AM on 04/24/2010

I'm not "siding" with either party here, but when you have a right like Freedom of Speech, you have to understand that exercising it may bring consequences you don't like. There are people in our country's history who lost their lives for speaking their minds; there are people all over the world who live in fear of expressing the "wrong" viewpoint because of what it could bring on themselves and their families. The nature of the call was a little immature, but it was certainly Mr. Douglas's right to make the call. And it is within the rights of the Tea Partiers to speak back, and for Geico to back off from the fray. Stand up for what you believe in, and it brings what it brings. Neda Agha-Soltan gave her life protesting an injustice in Iran. D.C. Douglas got dropped from doing voice overs for one company for his opinion. These are the repercussions of believing in something and having the courage to take a stand in this world. Sometimes, hopefully, you're able to shape the change you want, and sometimes, you sacrifice or lose something dear. And sometimes people call you an idiot for the opinion you expressed on the Huffington Post.

[justaguyy]

08:28 AM on 04/24/2010

Who does GEICO think they are, it isn't like it was Don Imus and anyone important was upset about the hate speech.....

[C65]

11:01 AM on 04/24/2010

THE OVER PRICED AUTO INSURANCE THEY SELL IS LOSING CUSTOMERS
SO THEY WANT TO KEEP THE RICH FEW THEY HAVE.

[OLEGAR]

01:22 PM on 04/24/2010

It might not mean much to a Multi-National company but I have just taken my insurance coverage, with the annual premium of $1200.00 +, to another firm. One reason I gave to the telephone parson, :"If persecution for 'freedom of expression' by "anyone" has become your policy, then I must look elsewhere for my insurance needs!" I had been a customer for more than 10 years but I switched to a local Company.

[yuri nahl]

03:30 AM on 04/24/2010

Comrades, bad move by Geico.There goes their hep image.