Some commercials just stick with us, and when it comes to company mascots, it’s hard to imagine a character who has become more iconic in recent years than Flo from Progressive. Dressed in a white apron with her brown hair tied back in a blue ribbon, Flo is known for always having a smile on her face as she pitches insurance to the viewers of the over 100 commercials she’s starred in, but what about the woman behind the character? What does Flo look like in real life?
Flo is and has always been played by an actor named Stephanie Courtney, who started out in improvisational comedy. She joined The Groundlings sketch comedy group before appearing in her first Progressive commercial in 2008, and the rest is advertising history. Read on to learn more about Courtney and what she's doing when she's not selling insurance.
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In real life, Courtney is a comedian and mom.
When she’s not wearing her white apron, Courtney is an actor, wife, and mother. Though she is no longer with the main company of The Groundlings—where famous comedians including Lisa Kudrow and Kristen Wiig also got their start—she has a recurring role as Essie Karp on the '80s-set sitcom The Goldbergs. Outside of her professional life, Courtney is married to Scott Kolanach, the lighting director for her former comedy group, and together, they have a son.
“Every crazy old lady character I ever walked out as on that stage had beautiful, peachy gem lighting because he liked me,” she told People.
And though we’ve welcomed Flo into our homes via our TVs so many times over the years that it feels like we know her, the performer behind her is much more private. Courtney seldom posts on her Instagram account and once told The Daily Beast that she lets her husband stay aware of all things internet-related when it comes to her famous onscreen personality. (Yes, Flo has fan accounts.)
Courtney has said she feels like she lives a double life.
Tibrina Hobson/Getty ImagesFlo has truly become such a major pop culture staple that you might assume Courtney would be stopped everywhere she goes, but she told Cosmopolitan that, without the costume and makeup, she rarely gets recognized when she’s out in public.
“Sometimes I feel like I have a double life. I am made up so hardcore for Flo. My hair is teased to the heavens, and I have tons of makeup on,” she said. “But when I'm driving around in a ponytail, rarely does anyone know who I am. I've never had a drink sent to my table.”
In fact, in 2016, Courtney told Emmy Magazine that without “all of Flo's crazy makeup,” she doesn’t think she looks like her much at all. And that's probably saved her from some awkward encounters.
She made up her own backstory for Flo.
Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Love & Bananas Movie, LLCCourtney doesn’t just star in the Progressive commercials, she’s also created a bit of a backstory for Flo, as well. She started off by basing her character on her mom, Jane Courtney, and has kept filling in more details about Flo's life and where she lives. Learning how Courtney pictures her, it's easier to understand why Flo is so happy all the time.
“When I picture Flo in life, she drives her little Mini Cooper around town and it's basically like when Bob Hoskins drove into Toontown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” she told Cleveland.com. “Basically all the buildings and the birds are singing in her mind. And little humming birds are like ‘Hello Flo! Bye Flo!’ So I think that's how she sees the world: just a great big Toontown. And I think she's just so excited for any good quality she sees in a person. She's just beyond happy for them; if it's a cute sweater, or they picked a great insurance. She's just beside herself. It's made her day.”
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You’ve probably seen her in TV shows and movies, too.
Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC ImagesCourtney’s main gig might be playing Flo, but it’s not her only gig. Aside from her recurring role in The Goldbergs, she’s also scored parts in shows including 2 Broke Girls, House, and You’re The Worst. You might also have spotted Courtney in the movies The Heartbreak Kid and Blades of Glory.
Courtney sees auditioning and rejection as just part of the business now, which must be a little easier when you've been headlining one of the most popular ad campaigns for years.
“Originally I auditioned for Joan for Mad Men," she told Cosmopolitan. "They said, ‘You didn't get that, but will you play a switchboard operator instead?’ I said, ‘Sure!’ Then I saw Christina Hendricks in that emerald dress, and I went, Oh, I get it now. I also auditioned for Pam for The Office. I didn't get far in that audition, but I was such a fan of the British Office I was just excited to be there.”
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