Daniel Lawrence Whitney, known by his alias Larry the Cable Guy, is a comedian with a career spanning over 30 years.

Besides his stand up gigs, Larry is also famous for voicing Mater, one of the lead characters in Disney/Pixar’s animated movie series, Cars.

Larry Dropped out of College to be a Comedian

The now-renowned entertainer, Whitney, had a passing interest in comedy at first. But, as time passed, the interest grew, so much so that he left his junior year education to pursue a career as a comedian.

He appeared on radio programs and began showing his comic skills, which garnered people’s attention. Later, he got into stand-up comedy shows and did commentaries twice a week for WHEB 100.3 and WGIR-FM 101.1.

However, his breakthrough came only in 2000, after Jeff Foxworthy, a friend, and fellow comedian, approached him to join his Blue Collar Comedy Tour. The tour attracted a considerable number of people, and when the team released the tour as a DVD, it sold over a million copies. 

Following his new-found fame, Whitney utilized the moment to introduce Larry the Cable Guy to the world. He used the persona’s catchphrase “Lord, I Apologize” for his first comedy album and released it in 2001. In 2005, he released another comedy album named The Right To Bare Arms.

After his first and second comedy albums got certified gold by the RIAA, he traveled around the country for tours and released more albums. Some of his other albums include Morning Constitutions, A Very Larry Christmas, and Christmastime in Larryland.

His Success in Comedy Led Him to Acting

The Nebraska native amassed fame in comedy through his talent, which paved a path for him towards the acting industry and took him straight to movies and TV shows.

Although he had already made appearances in TV specials for some of his comedy albums, Whitney officially entered the entertainment industry in 2006 after he voiced Mater in Cars.

A year later, he portrayed the role of his comedy alias, Larry, in Delta Farce.

In 2013, he portrayed Buddy’s role in A Madea Christmas and appeared in other TV series, including 2013’s Bounty Hunters, 2013-17’s Tales from Radiator Springs, and 2021’s The Funny Cartoons Show.

Currently, the actor is readying himself to voice Mater in an untitled Cars project.

How Much is His Net Worth?

Whitney has earned praise for his comedy as well as acting skills. And, along with all the accolades, he also has made a healthy amount of money. At the peak of his career, the comedian earned around $70 million annually, mainly through touring and endorsements.

As per Celebrity NetWorth, the 58-year-old comedian, who earns around $20 million per year, is worth a whopping $100 million!