‘Dude With Sign’ Has 7.4 Million Followers For Protesting Annoying Everyday Things With Funny Signs (40 New Pics)

Seth’s journey to internet stardom began in October 2019 when he and Elliot Tebele, the founder of Jerry Media, went out into New York’s SoHo neighborhood and held up a cardboard sign that proudly declared: “Stop replying-all to company-wide emails.” We can relate to this. Most likely, you can, too.

But it wasn’t until they uploaded a photo of their second sign to Elliot’s IG account that said, “Seinfeld is way better than Friends” that there were rumblings of a potentially huge online following. You might have felt the need to tell Seth and Elliot that ‘Friends’ is actually better now. Well, plenty of others did, too; meanwhile, others praised their sense of good taste.

That’s when the duo created the ‘Dude With Sign’ account. It’s not just online popularity, either. Whenever Seth comes out with his sign, people gather in droves.

“The corner usually fills up with people within minutes, and everyone has their phones out. When I'm finished, a lot of people will ask to take pictures with me or videos, which is still something to get used to. It's a very strange feeling, but it also kind of cracks me up that people are seeing me as a famous person for holding up cardboard signs,” Seth told Heather Leighton, writing for Forbes.

“When creating the protests, we try to come up with something funny that is relatable that people don't particularly talk about. We try to have each of these elements while appealing to every type of person, which is a big part of why I think the account has accumulated as many followers as it has,” Seth told Forbes.

Born in Hawley, a small town in Texas, Seth got his degree in marketing from Midwestern State University in Witchita Falls. After graduating, he traveled all over Australia and finally ended up in New York to work on the ‘What Do You Meme’ boardgame and to create content for the ‘Eff Jerry’ IG account. Both are owned by Jerry Media, founded by Elliot.

According to Seth, his future isn’t yet set and he’s still figuring a lot of things out. He told Forbes that he’s considering continuing to make funny accounts online. He’s open to trying out lots of different things and seeing what sticks.

“There are interesting opportunities that I would have never imagined coming my way with this all the time. Right now I’m kind of just riding the wave, dipping my toes in different things. Ellen, for example, was something cool that got me really interested in how television works. I’m just learning, doing my best, and meeting awesome people and I’m confident something awesome will come my way.”

The ‘Dude With Sign’s’ tagline on Instagram and Twitter is “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything,” and it’s surprisingly accurate. Even if that something might sound simple and get a giggle out of someone, each cardboard sign protest is an indication that there’s something slightly off with the world. We might just be too used to it to see it.

Of course, protesting during the Covid-19 pandemic, even if it’s done in a lighthearted manner or for an important cause, raises some questions about staying healthy and safe. You’ll notice that in all of the photos taken outside, Seth is wearing a mask and staying socially distanced from his fans. Be like Seth.

More a fan of protesting animals than people? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. You’ll find our posts about the chuckle-worthy ‘Dog With Sign’ account that emulates Seth’s account in dog form right here and here. Meanwhile, let us know what you thought of the Dude’s newest signs and which ones sounded like capital ‘T’ Truth-bombs to you, dear Readers.