W

Wardy Joubert III

Died
December 11, 2016
Age
45 years
Cause
heart attack

About Wardy Joubert III

Wardy Joubert III, 45, American preacher, football coach and internet meme, heart attack.

Explore other notable deaths in 2016 or deaths in December 2016.

The Deaths Archive presents

How well do you know Wardy Joubert III?

Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.

10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?

Challenge your friends

Play together in real-time.

60 Seconds Life Story

Wardy Joubert III lived a life defined by diverse roles ranging from local community service to unexpected

60 Seconds Life Story

Wardy Joubert III

d. 2016

0:00 / 0:59

60 Seconds: Wardy Joubert III's Life Story

1:00Added 2026-10-24Generated

Wardy Joubert III was an American preacher, coach, and model who became the subject of a viral internet meme.

Transcript

Wardy Joubert III lived a life defined by diverse roles ranging from local community service to unexpected global digital fame. Born in San Francisco in 1971, he spent his early years as an athlete and eventually found his calling in religious life. Serving as a deacon at the St. Paul Tabernacle Baptist Church, he also dedicated himself to the youth as a football coach. In 2009, financial pressures led him to participate in a modeling session that would eventually change his life. A single image of him sitting on a bed was edited and shared widely online, evolving into the viral Wood Sitting on a Bed meme. By 2016, Wardy Joubert passed away from a heart attack at age forty-five. His legacy continues through charitable donations supporting families in his home city of San Francisco.

Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.

Visual credits: Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · Generated illustration by The Deaths Archive (Generated illustration, not a photograph) · dvidshub.net (Public domain)

An illustrated presentation assembled inside the archive from the approved script and the credited images: narration, scene transitions and captions. Caption timing is estimated from the narration.

Narrated illustration. Images are sourced and credited; they are not presented as authenticated photographs.

Full Biography

|

Wardy "Wood" Joubert III (August 30, 1971 – December 11, 2016) was an American preacher, football coach and pornographic model, and the subject of an internet meme that has circulated since 2012.

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.

Joubert died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 45.

Meme

In 2009, Joubert modeled for a nude photo while sitting on a bed. 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.

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. On Reddit, a subreddit appeared under the name "r/barrywood" where users can upload newly created memes. The page contains a link to a GoFundMe page that was created after Joubert's death in 2016 to help with funeral expenses. On May 27, 2020, an update was added to the GoFundMe page stating that new donations would be used for "boxed lunches and hygiene packs daily to families without housing in San Francisco. This is a cause that was very near and dear to Wardy's heart and we would like to keep up the good work and tradition of helping the person next to you without judgement." 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.

In May 2020, WIN News in Ballarat, Victoria accidentally broadcast a photoshopped video which included the photo of Joubert.

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.

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Interactive

Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge

How well do you know this person's life and legacy?

No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.

Books & Media

Find books, audiobooks and films about Wardy Joubert III on Amazon.

Available at Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Sources

People who died on December 11

Spotted an error?

Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.

Report an error for Wardy Joubert III →

We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4 and PostHog) and advertising (Google AdSense) to understand site usage and improve your experience. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of these cookies. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy for details.