Everything you need to know about Ronald Gladden: The man who got pranked on Jury Duty

When you first hear the concept for the new viral reality show Jury Duty it sounds as though we’ve truly entered an unhinged Truman Show parody alternate universe. Simply, over the course of three weeks, the mockumentary team behind The Office stage a fake comedy court case where all the jurors are actors— apart from one man who got pranked: Ronald Gladden.

Now with almost 50 million views on the Jury Duty hashtag on TikTok, the series has gone well and truly viral. And everyone has questions about unsuspecting Ronald. He’s loyal (doesn’t rat OAP Barbara out for keeping herself awake with a dexedrine laced cookie), patient (befriends egomaniac actor James Marsden, who plays himself) and kind (watches A Bug’s Life with the group’s eccentric tech head Todd to show him mavericks are always ahead of their time).

So, in case you have questions about the, almost saintly, victim of reality TV’s biggest hoax, here’s what we know about Ronald Gladden’s life before Jury Duty. And how he accidentally became an unsuspecting national treasure:

Ronald got on the show through Craigslist

Before filming for Jury Duty began, Ronald had just turned 30 and was working in San Diego fitting solar panels before becoming a project manager at the hardware store Home Depot. When Jury Duty’s creators posted an advert on Craigslist looking for a pool of people to be jurors in a trial covered by a documentary crew, Ronald was between jobs and applied with absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into.

To Ronald, the trial (filmed in the disused Huntington Park courthouse in Los Angeles) was part of a serious documentary covering a case where an intoxicated employee had cause irreversible damage to a T-shirt business. “We hoped we could lead Ronald on a hero’s journey, and he would showcase all the ways that a person’s kindness and decency can make the world a slightly better place,” executive producer Nicholas Hatton told the San Diego Union Tribune. 

Obviously, Ronald (now the most adorable man on reality television) readily met that criteria.

He’s still friends with the other jurors

As part of the production team’s requirements, Ronald had never served on jury duty before and had no idea what was normal and what was not. But he did get to know his fellow jurors on an honest level as all of the (bizarre) stories they told him about their lives were true. According to reports, the cast still regularly meet up and Ronald was even invited to one actor’s birthday.

So. Wholesome.

Ronald has no intention of becoming a reality TV star

Despite appearing on a few chat shows with James Marsden since Jury Duty was released, Ronald has never had any intention of becoming a reality TV star. “It still really hasn’t hit me,” he told the San Diego Union Tribune of his new found fame, which includes thousands of women now commenting on his posts about how they’ve got the “biggest crush” on him.

But, although we have no idea what Ronald is planning on doing next with his showbiz career, we do know he’s, sadly, taken. His girlfriend was even in on the prank and convinced him it was normal for his phone to be taken the minute the jury was sequestered. Cry.

Mostly, he hangs out with his dog called Meatball

Judging from his Instagram (@sunnyg_sd) Ronald’s days post Jury Duty have been much more chill than the chaos of the courthouse. Aside from the show’s premiere, he’s spent most of his time hanging out with his dog Meatball (this man couldn’t be any more boyfriend material if he tried) and replying to fans on his posts encouraging them to watch the show. Precious.

Featured image credit via Amazon.