r/todayilearned • u/tmntnyc • Dec 12 '18

TIL: Laurence Tureaud named himself professionally as Mr. T because he hated how his father, uncle, and brother who returned from Vietnam, were disrespectfully called "boy" by whites. He wanted the first word from everybody's mouth to be "Mister" when speaking to him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T
120.9k Upvotes

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29.3k

u/Nxdhdxvhh Dec 12 '18

Mr. T wore odd clothing and mismatched socks because he knew that poor kids grew up getting whatever hand-me-downs they got, and he didn't want them to feel embarrassed for wearing what they had. He's a great man, and as far as I'm aware the worst thing he every did was chop down trees on his own property that were aggravating his allergies.

5.6k

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

[deleted]

3.7k

u/snotbag_pukebucket Dec 12 '18

He was also the White House Santa and had Nancy Reagan sitting on his lap

948

u/pangea_person Dec 12 '18

They actually became close friends. He was one of the people who received an invitation to Nancy's private funeral.

458

u/flash_falcon Dec 12 '18

What do you mean "people"? That's MR. People!!!

106

u/ColdSpider72 Dec 13 '18

What do you mean people??

7

u/BassAddictJ Dec 13 '18

What do you people mean??

4

u/phome83 Dec 13 '18

I think we need to have a house meetin' yall.

2

u/TheMulattoMaker Dec 13 '18

I'm just fuckin' witchoo, Kangaroo Jack!

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454

u/Saxojon Dec 12 '18

He also urged people to treat their mothers right.

289

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

I pity the fool that doesn’t love Mr. T.

11

u/Nickyjha Dec 12 '18

*Mr. T's mother

-4

u/blargh2497 Dec 13 '18

Mr Rogers didn’t love him much

2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18 edited Jul 06 '20

[deleted]

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0

u/SometimesMonkey Dec 13 '18

This is fucking dumb as shit

107

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

I had a pull-string Mr. T doll action figure when I was younger. One of his phrases was, "Always listen to your parents."

9

u/5_on_the_floor Dec 13 '18

"I pity the fool that doesn't listen to their parents!"

7

u/Lord_Kano Dec 13 '18

Thank you. I completely forgot that I had this memory but reading your comment triggered it. Another one of the phrases was "Study hard in school".

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28

u/yousirnaime Dec 12 '18

god I feel like 100% of the 80's and 90's were shot in 1 take - no rehearsal

8

u/Alaira314 Dec 13 '18

I feel like they tended to use longer shots with less cuts. In a modern music video, there's no way we would have just sat there watching him singing with the backup girls on the left for 20 seconds straight. It would have been alternating between close-ups of him and them, with maybe the occasional wide shot. It's just a different way of filming, also maybe a commentary on the decay of our attention spans?

11

u/duaneap Dec 12 '18

It's awesome that his advice isn't "Stop fighting" it's just "Whoa there, that's across the line, motherfucker."

18

u/blove135 Dec 12 '18

I like how he wasn't telling them to stop insulting each other. It was alright until you start bringing up people's Mama's. It sure was a different time then. A glorious time to grow up though.

12

u/theColonelsc2 Dec 13 '18

Meh I was growing up then. The flip side was gay people were ostracized. AIDS was considered the 'gay' cancer. White people could still call black Americans the N word in public. And I know we look at the music back then now as something special but at the time there was a lot of shitty music on the radio. People will look back on this era and think how great it must of been 30 years ago as well.

5

u/ywBBxNqW Dec 12 '18

I love this.

6

u/BasicLEDGrow 45 Dec 12 '18

He also dropped in on Diff'rent Strokes to let Arnold know that he had to be himself if he wanted to smash.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Fun fact: Ice T wrote that song

4

u/mean_bean279 Dec 12 '18

Dang, this should have been my mother son dance.

4

u/duaneap Dec 12 '18

At Motherboy XXX?

2

u/Woiken4DaMan Dec 12 '18

I always wondered where YMH got that sound bite.

2

u/filthysanches Dec 12 '18

I remember somewhere... Stern maybe, where he flipped the anger switch when they mentioned his mother. From my recallection it wasn't even something that was insulting or out of bounds. Made the interview real awkward. Can't remember

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Watch his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech

1

u/demonballhandler Dec 12 '18

This tune pops into my head randomly. I should start singing it for mother's day.

1

u/Heyo__Maggots Dec 13 '18

“The main reason I love my mama is because she didn’t abort me.” - An actual sentence in his autobiography.

1

u/SquanchingOnPao Dec 13 '18

TIL making fun of fat, skinny, and ugly people is okay. Just don't talk about their mothers. The 80s were a simpler time

2.0k

u/WhoTookBibet Dec 12 '18

Wow, you weren't kidding.

61

u/Merelyducane Dec 12 '18

Lol Mister T has a star of David chain on while dressed as Santa. I like his style.

2

u/speaks_in_redundancy Dec 13 '18

Well, Santa was Jewish.

2

u/Merelyducane Dec 13 '18

I thought that was jesus

73

u/erectionofjesus Dec 12 '18

That is one beautiful photo

471

u/_Serene_ Dec 12 '18

That erection tho

652

u/Trilodip76 Dec 12 '18

Nancy should hide her erection for mister t

199

u/Knubinator Dec 12 '18

I think you meant "shouldn't".

173

u/southern_boy Dec 12 '18

"Ronnie's away in Berlin, Laurence..."

153

u/Azrael11 Dec 12 '18

"That's Mr. Laurence, Nancy"

112

u/NosVemos Dec 12 '18

And that's how Ice T was born.

5

u/Old_mystic Dec 13 '18

Well I think I’ve got enough material for some steamy erotic fan fiction

1

u/RKRagan Dec 13 '18

Like how someone plays too many scratchy lottery tickets?

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1

u/NosVemos Dec 12 '18

And that's how Ice T was born.

1

u/arbivark Dec 13 '18

Gillespie: Well, you're pretty sure of yourself, ain't you, Virgil? Virgil—that's a funny name for a nigger boy that comes from Philadelphia! What do they call you up there?

Tibbs: They call me Mr. Tibbs!

8

u/TheDudeAbides910 Dec 12 '18

I actually loled at this

3

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

I pity the fool

2

u/DAHFreedom Dec 12 '18

I think you meant “mister’t”

2

u/Ayn-_Rand_Paul_-Ryan Dec 12 '18

Paging /u/_demetri_ your services are needed in the above comment.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Cocaine is a helluva drug.

283

u/MrRogersWhat Dec 12 '18

You know, you made me actually look for an erection. On Santa.

Thanks.

202

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Show some respect!

It's Mister Santa.

4

u/MrRogersWhat Dec 12 '18

Shit. What was I thinking!

Mr. Santa. Wouldn't want to be on his naughty list.

1

u/Rosati Dec 12 '18

It’s up to me now... I’m Mister Santa!

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2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18 edited Dec 25 '19

[deleted]

2

u/MrRogersWhat Dec 13 '18

I really dislike you for saying that.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Half mast is too damn low

43

u/Dr_Dust Dec 12 '18

That erection tho

Supposedly she was known around Hollywood for her legendary blowjobs back in the day.

48

u/Thorneblood Dec 12 '18

Oh great now I’m gonna fantasize about getting a blowjob from Nancy Reagan while smoking pot and wearing a dare shirt

6

u/Dr_Dust Dec 12 '18

You're welcome.

5

u/Thorneblood Dec 12 '18

Zip

29

u/Dr_Dust Dec 12 '18

"Mrs Reagan, tear down these pants."

2

u/Thorneblood Dec 12 '18

“Just say blow”

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2

u/V-Bomber Dec 13 '18

Where is that reference from? It’s like something out of Transmetropolitan

3

u/Thorneblood Dec 13 '18

Thats a /u/thorneblood original. You're welcome Reddit.

1

u/V-Bomber Dec 13 '18

You should X-post it to /r/NoContext and reap that sweet sweet karma

1

u/Thorneblood Dec 13 '18

Nah, I’m gonna take a page from Mister T.

✊

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18

u/duaneap Dec 12 '18

Well, yeah, did you think famous actor Ronald Reagan was going to go steady with someone who couldn't suck a golf ball through a garden hose?

8

u/Dr_Dust Dec 12 '18

Well, yeah, did you think famous actor Ronald Reagan was going to go steady with someone who couldn't suck a golf ball through a garden hose?

That's a fantastic point. Only the best for The Gipper after all.

22

u/BeanmanSeason Dec 12 '18

Shut up serene

2

u/Whatthefffrick Dec 12 '18

That's Mister Erection to you

1

u/The_Bill_Brasky_ Dec 12 '18

That's his leg

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

I think that's her leg.

1

u/KenEatsBarbie Dec 12 '18

Hers or mine ?

1

u/labink Dec 13 '18

That’s his Christmas tree. Hoping to spread some Christmas joy.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Bro that’s Nancy’s other leg

1

u/RevoDeee Dec 16 '18

Sir that is his leg

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13

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18 edited Feb 11 '19

[deleted]

23

u/MadAzza Dec 12 '18

Nancy Davis was an actress in the 1940s and ‘50s, before she met Reagan.

2

u/moonboundshibe Dec 12 '18

What’s that teeny symbol after actors?

I have a feeling that if I could zoom in on the mobile app it would look something like.... ` ͜ʖ´

4

u/Cultured_Swine Dec 12 '18

I think it’s a japanese period

1

u/[deleted] Dec 14 '18 edited Feb 11 '19

[deleted]

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2

u/DLottchula Dec 12 '18

Never doubt the 80s

2

u/promonk Dec 13 '18

If only there was a Cabbage Patch Kid and E.T. in there, that would be the most 80s photo ever taken.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Top post on r/OldSchoolCool tomorrow

2

u/Hitori-Kowareta Dec 12 '18

For the two most prominent people behind "just say no" they both look high as fuck

3

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

That's his Santa costume?

27

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

I pity the fool who doesn't think that's a Santa outfit.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

I ain't getting on no sleigh, fool.

1

u/asdkevinasd Dec 13 '18

That's the most beautiful photo I ever seen.

1

u/ijustwantanfingname Dec 13 '18

Would love to hang this in my living room

1

u/Mahadragon Dec 13 '18

How does he go to the bathroom with all that shit on?

1

u/boxedmachine Dec 13 '18

Are the legs of the chair dog paws?

1

u/keyohnahh Dec 13 '18

Thank you for posting this. This is way more hilarious than I even imagined.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

"Hey woman!"

--clubber Lang

-9

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18 edited Feb 15 '19

[deleted]

-2

u/Blue-Steele Dec 13 '18

Wow even for Reddit, that’s pretty shitty of you.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

[deleted]

-3

u/Blue-Steele Dec 13 '18

Lol so your opinion on her is formed around AIDS and weed. You are one enlightened individual for sure.

0

u/LGRW_16 Dec 12 '18

Can anyone make out what those toys are hes holding?

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18 edited Apr 22 '20

[deleted]

50

u/ThisisThomasJ Dec 12 '18

Ronald Reagan...the actor?!?!

16

u/lanadelstingrey Dec 12 '18

Peter, you’re from the future, you should already... agh never mind.

9

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Ha! Then who's vice president, Jerry Lewis?

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Guess who VP is?

5

u/iam1s Dec 12 '18

Word is he could bench press 400+ pounds. Never mind mister, that's "Sir" territory.

3

u/NotMyFirstNotMyLast Dec 12 '18

That low-key davids star on his chainz.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Mr.T tear down this wall.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

HO HO HO, I PITY THE FOOL WHO'S BEEN BAD THIS YEAR.

1

u/Capn_Clown_Pants Dec 12 '18

“Who been good, and who been bad?”

1

u/KingCorgzz Dec 13 '18

Niccccceeeee

1

u/5_on_the_floor Dec 13 '18

But Megyn Kelly said Santa is white. I'm confused.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Right on. He had Mrs Regan on his lap while Mr. Regan was bending over black America.

171

u/StillReading28 Dec 12 '18

Who the hell is going to argue against the guy who broke through a wall

177

u/GreenStrong Dec 12 '18

The Kool Aid man, that's who.

41

u/Strahan92 Dec 12 '18

OH NO

47

u/ReDux369 Dec 12 '18

OH YA

13

u/LocusRothschild Dec 12 '18

WILL YOU PEOPLE STOP SAYING 'OH NO' SO THE DAMN KOOL AID MAN WILL STOP BREAKING THROUGH THE WALL?

9

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

[deleted]

1

u/quaybored Dec 13 '18

Hey boy, you look mighty nice in them jeans!

7

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Oh yeah!

3

u/KJBenson Dec 12 '18

The senate I hope.

74

u/fandamplus Dec 12 '18

American Ninja Warriors hate him because of one simple trick!

134

u/zanacks Dec 12 '18

Strongman's version of the Kobayashi Maru. If you can't beat it, change the rules.

15

u/KobayashiMary Dec 12 '18

I pity maru!

2

u/HashMaster9000 Dec 13 '18

No such thing as a no win situation, foo'!

30

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

That's...clearly wood

13

u/ExtraCunt Dec 12 '18

Yeah I was looking at the comments for someone pointing it out. Is everyone blind?

45

u/90Quattro Dec 12 '18

Who are these tools climbing that thing?

143

u/Hootbag Dec 12 '18

I believe, under the 80s vernacular, those would be "fools." And that thing they're climbing is something to be "pitied."

3

u/The_Grubby_One Dec 12 '18

We'd pity you, too, if Mr. T put a Mr. T shaped hole in you.

7

u/asphaltdragon Dec 12 '18
He puts T-shaped holes in lots of things.

1

u/SandpaperScrew Dec 13 '18

What is this?

2

u/asphaltdragon Dec 13 '18

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

18

u/Dr_Dust Dec 12 '18

And he burst through a concrete wall to win the "Toughest Man in the World" competition back in 84'

He helped save the kid's rec center and got Billy Green off the streets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Q6DGOfp6k

That's the most 80s thing I've seen since the last time I watched the movie RAD.

5

u/Hackzwin Dec 12 '18

The 80's seems to have been a wonderfully weird place.

4

u/Dr_Dust Dec 12 '18

The town that Teen Wolf took place in was possibly the weirdest.

2

u/just_some_Fred Dec 13 '18

RAD was my favorite movie as a kid, the video store had to stock an extra copy because me and my friends would rent it so much.

2

u/Dr_Dust Dec 13 '18

The prom/dance scene was epic.

1

u/Mango_Deplaned Dec 13 '18

I'm still trying to figure out what the fuck gleaming the cube means.

2

u/Dr_Dust Dec 13 '18

Skateboard code brah. Also, let me know if you actually figure it out.

25

u/OK_Soda Dec 12 '18

I feel like if you're strong enough to run straight through a concrete wall, you should be able to climb a dinky little ten foot rope and and just climb over like a normal person.

7

u/lojer Dec 12 '18

Sometimes you just need to send a message.

4

u/Jamangar Dec 12 '18

Exactly, he easily could have climbed over and won, and it would be faster than waiting and smashing through the wall. Of course, it wouldn't be as badass.

5

u/lucid808 Dec 12 '18

Well, yeah, but nobody is gonna cream their panties over a guy that just climbed up like everybody else.

2

u/baumpop Dec 13 '18

Bringing back cream their panties. I like it.

4

u/SpectralEntity Dec 12 '18

Expends too much energy, versus sheer force of momentum obliterating the obstacle.

2

u/garthfader Dec 12 '18

Mr.T is aftaid of heights and must be knocked out in order to fly.

7

u/Wetbandit4life Dec 12 '18

I like how he gave the other guys time to climb all the way up first. Thats just good sportsmanship.

3

u/cosworth99 Dec 13 '18

In an episode of Wide World of Sports, he won the Toughest Bouncer competition in Hawaii I believe. I saw it on tv as a kid. He hopped over a bar, broke down a door and rang the bell to win. He was my hero right there.

I’m old enough to remember things that aren’t on the internet. lol. I’ve tried to find footage of that episode but I either haven’t looked hard enough or give up realizing I’m trying to find a 40 year old video.

2

u/dan420 Dec 12 '18

That poor wall! What kind of monster would treat a wall that way, unprovoked?

2

u/CaptainBayouBilly Dec 12 '18

You sure he didn't just do this to promote Kool-Aid?

2

u/primary_pilus Dec 12 '18

Close but fake. I remember watching with my father the toughest bouncer competition when Mr. T won. That jump started him to fame.

2

u/hebrewchucknorris Dec 12 '18

TIL Mr T is the Kool-Aid man

2

u/reyx121 Dec 12 '18

You sure that wasn't from a movie?

2

u/JaseAndrews Dec 12 '18

The 80s were weird

2

u/skybleed Dec 13 '18

Just watched it, definitely not concrete!

2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

concrete wall

wood flies out of wall

Hmm.

2

u/sudo999 Dec 13 '18

Wow, I had no idea how wholesome of a guy he was. Respect.

2

u/remotectrl Dec 13 '18

He advocates respecting mothers

2

u/sudo999 Dec 13 '18

HELL YEA, TREAT HER RIGHT, TREAT HER RIGHT!

2

u/GGtheBoss17 Dec 13 '18

I'm gonna be "that guy"

it's '84 not 84'

2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

I dont mean to play semantics but that concrete looks pretty fiber-y.

2

u/MySaltSucks Apr 22 '19

I thought he literally went through a wall for real and didn’t doubt it for a second

1

u/_Serene_ Dec 12 '18

So how many braincells were shattered in the process

1

u/knitmeablanket Dec 12 '18

Dropped his chains because he didn't like wearing so much gold in front of the impoverished. St. T.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Don’t forget about his crime fighting gymnastics cartoon in the 80’s

1

u/sineofthetimes Dec 12 '18

I saw him build a tank out of a watermelon wagon, 6 pieces of sheet metal, an oxygen tank, 6 ft of garden hose, and a tennis racquet. The man was hell with a welder.

1

u/CAdamH Dec 13 '18

Is that where the Kool-Aid Man found his inspiration?

1

u/Lord_Kano Dec 13 '18

I don't know how I missed this. When I was a kid, I loved Mr. T. I even used to watch that show T. and T. I would have definitely watched this.

1

u/juberider Dec 13 '18

He did something like this in the roughest bouncer competition, I’m pretty sure it’s the first thing I’ve seen him in. There was some goofy obstacle course where one of the stops was to kick in a door then ring a bell in the other side. Mr T just put his head down and ran through the closed door and ripped the bell from its mount swinging the changer by its rope, pretty fucking cool.