Wardy Joubert III
Wardy Joubert III (August 30, 1971 – December 11, 2016), known as Wood, was an American preacher, football coach, and subject of an internet meme that has circulated since 2012.[1]
Biography
Joubert was born on August 30, 1971, in San Francisco. He gained the nickname "Wood" as a kid while playing baseball. After high school he became a semi-pro arena football player. He worked as a football coach and as a deacon at the St. Paul Tabernacle Baptist Church in San Francisco.
In 2010 he took part in having erotic imagery taken of him as a side profession, ostensibly to make ends meet during tough financial times.[1]
Joubert died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 45.[1]
Meme
In 2009, Joubert modeled for a nude photo while sitting on a bed.[2] This photo was published to the internet. A photoshopped version garnered attention for the morphed size of Joubert's penis. The meme, called "Wood Sitting on a Bed" was subsequently shared on websites such as 4chan and Reddit in 2012.[1]
In 2020, the meme resurfaced as part of a COVID-19 prank, whereby the photo was shared on WhatsApp under the guise of being an alert related to the virus.[3][4] Some companies, including Barstool Sports and comedian Tom Segura, began to merchandise the photo by selling clothing with his image. Proceeds went to Joubert’s Family.[1][5]
In May 2020, WIN News in Ballarat, Victoria accidentally broadcast a photoshopped video which included the photo of Joubert.[6]
On February 1, 2022, an advertising magazine, Community Connections, was mailed out that included a full page ad for Chiaro's Pizza & Restaurant in Bucks County Pennsylvania that had the infamous photo as the latte art of a cup of cappuccino. The family restaurant deeply apologized for it slipping past their and the magazine's proofreaders.[7]
References
- Zargoza, Alex (March 27, 2020). "The Untold Story of Wood, the Well-Endowed Man From Those Coronavirus Texts". VICE. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Huge Penis Coronavirus Prank Photog Wants Meme to Help Man's Family". TMZ. March 20, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- Drayton, Tiffanie (April 13, 2020). "WhatsApp Users Are Being Harassed With This 'Big Penis Meme'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- Zaragosa, Alex (March 17, 2020). "Bad News About the Well-Endowed Man In Those Coronavirus Prank Texts". VICE. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Tom Segura Fundraising for Huge Penis Prank Man's Family With Shirts". TMZ. March 31, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- Evans, Mel (May 21, 2020). "Australian news report accidentally uses 'huge penis' meme in weather segment". Metro. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- Tanenbaum, Michael (February 4, 2022). "Ad for Bucks County pizza place printed with hidden image of naked guy then mailed to residents". PhillyVoice. Retrieved February 9, 2022.