For a season in 2016, Craig Ferguson hosted the show Join or Die with Craig Ferguson. The name of the History Channel’s program was inspired by his tattoo of Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 cartoon – a segmented snake over the note ‘Join or Die.’
Following his departure from The Late Late Show in December 2014, Ferguson joined the new show.
He would have become the ten-year host of the show, which is now hosted by James Corden if he had stayed a few more weeks.
What Was the Point of the Show?
Craig invites you to join him or die. Ferguson was a half-hour-long weekly panel show with 22 episodes. Ferguson began each episode with a lively conversation with a panel of three persons, which included celebrities and historians.
Every week, they’d debate a different topic, such as history’s greatest foes, most influential band or dog, or worst political blunder, among other things.
The debate would center on six contenders, and the panel would have to narrow the field down to only one, debating who deserved the title. The show featured Jimmy Kimmel, Jack Black, Jay Leno, Judd Apatow, and Elijah Wood, among others.
After its launch on February 18, 2016, the show ran for one season before being canceled.
After leaving, the 59-year-old went on to host shows including Celebrity Name Game and Jay Leno’s Garage. In 2021, he began hosting The Hustlers, a game show.
Where Did He Get His Tattoo?
Ferguson’s show, Join or Die with Craig Ferguson, was named after his tattoo. His tattoo is a segmented serpent from Benjamin Franklin’s revolutionary cartoon from 1754, which represents the divided colonists and a desire to unify for good.
The media celebrity, who was born in Scotland, inked the image when he received his American citizenship to show his affection for the country. However, there are several reasons why he got the tattoo.
Ferguson flaunted his tattoo and revealed the underlying reason for it during an interview on The View on September 22, 2009.
In honor of his father, the Glasgow native had inked his first tattoo on his right arm. When he lost his mother, he tattooed his left arm in the same way. After that, someone informed him that having two tattoos was bad luck.
Following the person’s advice and his desire to get a tattoo, he chose the caricature of Benjamin Franklin.
On December 29, 2009, he showed off his tattoos on The Late Late Show and discussed the varied reviews he received for his body art.
He revealed that Barbara Walters admired his tattoo, but that it was questioned by another woman.
Then he joked that the design wasn’t intended for her and that he didn’t need her approval.
