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.
