This post is part of a series on celebrity spokespeople who ended up doing serious harm to the brands they were hired to promote, or vice versa. See how we rank the 20 top spokesperson fiascos.
When Ben Curtis first hit the TV advertisement airwaves, I couldn't decide whether I was enchanted or annoyed. Personal computers were all the rage and Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) was the sweetest apple on the PC tree. When the "Dell Dude" enthusiastically told his little friend, "Dude, you're getting a Dell!" -- weren't we all a little excited?
And, let's be honest, wasn't he -- and Dell -- trading on the unspoken currency of the pot-smoking twang in his voice? It was hilarious, this college kid computer cheerleader. Unfortunately, hilarity equaled truth. In 2003 (right around the time he was phased out by the four cute Dell interns -- which is a whole different story) Curtis was busted for buying a very small amount of pot. "For personal use."
It was hardly the criminal arrest of the century (probably not even of that night in New York), it marked the end of Curtis' career with Dell. It didn't signal the end of his notoriety, however; he was given some coverage late last year for his bartending gig at Tortilla Flats, a popular financial district eatery in New York. The story goes that he makes great tips from fans of his former alter ego, and he's often asked to say his money line. He even dressed up as the Dell Dude for Halloween.
Who wants to bet we'll see him in an indie flick before too long?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-17-2008 @ 5:55PM
Ashworth97 said...
Anyone notice that the post date on this was July 19th 2008....just curious becaue today is Thursday the 17th
7-17-2008 @ 7:31PM
ScrappyPeanut said...
Yeah, I noticed that too. It seems kinda odd. Maybe we've somehow slipped into a time warp... Or our computers are faster than we think... Or the internet is more advanced than we thought... Or someone doesn't know how to proof read things. I'm going with my last theory.
7-17-2008 @ 7:53PM
kearney99 said...
Dude! You're gettin a cell!
7-17-2008 @ 8:10PM
Katie said...
OMG...I love him. I love him even more now that he's a convict. I just looooooove bad boys. Hot bad boys are even better, though I've had my share of un-hot ones. Just being bad makes you hot, never mind looking like him.
If I had him in my bed, I'd have him saying, "Dude, you're getting MY dell," all night long!!!!!
HOT HOT HOT.....Dell is retarded for letting him go.....so effing cute.....
7-17-2008 @ 10:32PM
Bruce Watson said...
Doob! It's a Dell!
7-18-2008 @ 8:09AM
BELLT1977 said...
I THINK THERE ARE WORSE THINGS CELEBRITIES HAVE DONE & KEEP THEIR JOBS (CASE IN POINT, MIKE TYSON). LET THE CUTIE WORK. I THINK HE WAS THE BEST THING FOR DELL SINCE BILL GATES =)
9-10-2008 @ 11:15AM
rosenrob said...
I liked him well enough that I bought a Dell laptop, not knowing at the time that he'd just been fired. It wouldn't have mattered so much except that the Dell laptop has given me lots of trouble, the accessories are expensive but flimsy, and I'd never buy another piece of Dell equipment even though I know some people with desktops who are quite happy with their computers. But I've never enjoyed another Dell commercial after the Dell Dude left, because they've all been boring!
7-19-2008 @ 2:55AM
rosenrob said...
I forgot to add: the Dell plug-in ports are so flimsy, I couldn't hook the laptop up to a printer, and I couldn't plug in a digital mouse. (contacts blinked on and off) And I think we paid $2800 for it at the time.
I hope Ben Curtis makes it big in spite of Dell.
7-19-2008 @ 3:14AM
rosenrob said...
If you go to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) and type in Ben Curtis, the first one on the list is the Dell Dude, and it lists the TV shows he's been in, and also gives some biographical data if you click on "More..."
7-22-2008 @ 12:09PM
Jim said...
HP or Toshiba should hire him to do a new commercial about his switching to another brand.
7-25-2008 @ 10:26PM
David said...
Dell got rid of the Dell "Dude" because of a little pot....are you kidding....like Dell is so Holy...what a bunch of hypocrits!
9-10-2008 @ 11:19AM
Fempatriot said...
Great idea, Jim! Too bad one of those companies isn't smart enough to snap him up.