The trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI has finally dropped, and a lot of fans have been having fun with the references to real-life memes—specifically people from Florida. What’s unexpected though, is that one of these internet celebrities is looking to sue the studio for making a parody of him.
According to Kotaku, Lawrence Sullivan a.k.a. Florida Joker is accusing Rockstar Games of stealing his likeness in the GTA VI game trailer, and wants reparations. In a recent TikTok post, Sullivan goes on about how the studio had taken his likeness. He says:
“We gotta talk or [if] not you gotta give me like a mil or two… Florida Joker ain’t having that, y’all took my likeness, y’all took my life.”
@lawrence.sullivan0 #gta6 #gta6new #gtaonline #gta6joker #florida #maimijoker #gta6 #floridajoker #miami #305 #727 #gta6trailer #thejoker #facetattoos #jokersmile #dc #fyp #joker ♬ original sound – Lawrence Sullivan
We don’t know how far Sullivan is willing to take the issue, but Roger Clark, who had worked with Rockstar for Red Dead Redemption, had said in a now-deleted reply to the video that the studio is ‘lawyered up’ and is ready for any kind of legal retaliation. Clark continues, “They know exactly what they can and cannot get away with. If I were you, I would use the notoriety they just threw your way to your advantage. Capitalize on it somehow.”
So far there hasn’t been any official statement from Rockstar about the issue with Sullivan, but seeing how big of a company they are, they probably have all the legal safety nets in place just in case anyone took issue with the parodies in the trailer.
No specific release date has been set for GTA VI, but watch out for it when it launches sometime in 2025.
