You might not know standup comedian and actress Stephanie Courtney by name alone, but you definitely know her by her TV persona, Flo, from the Progressive Insurance ads. Courtney has been playing Flo for eight years and has gained a certain notoriety for doing so. It was a role Courtney was allowed to make her own, and she did — using her mother as inspiration. Related: Top Shots of the Week. There are even Flo-related Pinterest and Facebook pages. For Courtney, Flo is a collaboration between herself and the writers who created her. Flo is not perfect; her hair and makeup, things have slipped through the cracks. Certainly Flo has her detractors. Who knows?

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Meet Stephanie Courtney
What happened? Did Flo quit or get fired? In just the last six years the online insurance company has used Flo in their commercials 94 times. Despite an ongoing rumor given weight by pundits from credible publications such as BusinessInsider. Statements from the company have made it clear that they have no intent to remove the insurance marketing icon that rocketed them to the top of the insurance ladder. They want to show that the company behind Flo is made up of ordinary, hard-working, and honest people. The idea is that Millenials will engage more with a humanized brand with which they share something in common. You can watch the spot below. Progressive, instead of focusing in on their own employees or corporate efforts, will be featuring organizations and other companies who share their values on a special, dedicated website.
Stephanie Courtney born February 8, [1] is an American actress and comedian, best known for playing the advertising character Flo in television and radio commercials for Progressive Corporation beginning in , [2] and noted for her recurring roles on several television series, including the voices of Renee the Receptionist and Joy Peters on the Adult Swim comedy Tom Goes to the Mayor —06 , Marge on the AMC drama Mad Men ; and Diane on the ABC comedy Cavemen She also appeared in the season 2 premiere of Men of a Certain Age. She also plays Essie Karp in The Goldbergs. Courtney was a member of The Groundlings , an improvisational and sketch comedy theater in Los Angeles , California.