Whatever Happened To The Original GEICO Caveman?
Long before we had the GEICO gecko, the insurance company had another recognizable mascot — the caveman. The caveman became a staple for GEICO as they released a series of commercials around the idea that their website is so easy to use that a caveman can do it. The ad caught people's attention, and apparently, it was all inspired by a book!
According to 99 Percent Invisible, Noel Ritter helped create the GEICO caveman campaign after reading the short story "Pastorialia" by George Saunders, which centered around a cavemen couple. Ritter explained that they had hit a roadblock on the creative campaign for GEICO, but the idea suddenly came to him. He said, "We needed a break and we had gone to lunch and we're sitting there eating our lunches and then all of a sudden, I'm like, 'Wait a second. These cavemen from the Saunders book, that's perfect!'" He continued, "And the whole slogan came to me fully formed: 'It's so easy a caveman can do it.'" From that point on, the creative ideas kept flowing surrounding the caveman, and no one could escape the commercials.
In the past couple of years, the company switched to the now famous gecko mascot, but during the 2024 Super Bowl, they brought the caveman back with a commercial of him being jealous of the gecko. The ad was nostalgic, and many have gotten to thinking about what has happened to the original GEICO caveman.
The OG caveman became a comedian
Behind all the wild hair and beard of the GEICO caveman is a gorgeous guy named John Lehr. Lehr played the caveman in the first original commercial where the mascot made his debut, per Forbes. After that, he starred in several of the insurance company's commercials, but when the gig ended, Lehr became a comedian.
It took time for Lehr to break into the comedy world. He had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years, even before he landed his caveman role with GEICO. But when he became sober and when the GEICO work was over, he was inspired to create comedy on his sobriety, per Forbes. Lehr's comedic slogan is "Cold. Sober. Comedy," and the former GEICO caveman has performed at various "fundraisers, non-profits and sober communities," speaking about" his personal and career struggles, his continuing sober journey and the importance of an authentic sense of humor." Lehr has done comedic lectures all over the U.S. as he brings a bit of humor to a more serious topic.
Lehr has continued his passion for comedy in the past couple of years. In 2022, Lehr posted a video promoting an upcoming gig at the Reel Recovery Film Festival. He said, "I've also been sober since 1996," before stitching in a clip of him talking about how he's surrounded by a "bunch of drunks" at his comedy show.
John Lehr continued acting
John Lehr didn't give up acting after the GEICO caveman commercials ended. After wrapping up his time with the insurance company, Lehr kept busy with several acting roles. According to IMDb, in 2013 and 2014, Lehr starred as a lead in the Hulu series "Quick Draw," although it did eventually come to an end. In the past couple of years, Lehr starred in several shorts, one called "Curiosity" in 2022 and "Schmetterling" in 2021.
"Curiosity" and "Schmetterling" were Lehr's last two acting gigs before the actor ventured into podcasting in 2023. He guest starred on the "Flula Makes Five" podcast before eventually launching a podcast of his own. In 2023, Lehr launched "An Intro to Anthro with Two Humans," and since 2023, Lehr has continued to release weekly episodes diving into the subject of anthropology.
Even with acting and podcasting, Lehr admitted in 2019 that his biggest payout remains the GEICO commercials he did. He told Forbes that he first started seeing money as an actor when he landed a role in the television series "Jesse" alongside Christina Applegate in the 90s. He said the "Jesse" job allowed him to get "money, health insurance and therapy." However, when he landed his GEICO job a couple of years later, that role would become the one that would provide the most cash for him and his family, and as of 2019 it still did.