14 DAY TRIAL // Jared Fogle has been the Subway Guy or simply Subway Jared for 15 years, ever since he lost a lot of weight by eating only their sandwiches and he became the brand’s face, pushing what was known as the “Subway Diet.” He is no longer a spokesperson for the fast food chain, at least for a while.
Yesterday, police and FBI agents descended on his home in Zionsville, Indianapolis, as part of an ongoing investigation on child pornography. Fogle was not charged and is not named a person of interest in the case, but Subway decided that the mere fact that he was part of the investigation made the partnership impossible.
Fogle and Subway part ways, for now at least
In April this year, the former director of the Fogle Foundation, a charity organization not affiliated with Subway, Russell Taylor, was arrested on child pornography charges. FBI agents discovered over 500 videos on his home computer, but also many files on his work computer, which he used at the Fogle Foundation.
Their content was of the most distressing nature and indicated that Taylor both produced and distributed said material.
It is believed that the raid on Fogle’s home was in connection with the discovery that Taylor used his work computer to carry out his operation, but authorities can’t confirm or deny it because the investigation is still ongoing.
Still, Fogle has a rather dubious history from his college days, so there are also voices saying he may have been involved in Taylor’s operation or at least have had some knowledge of it. When he was in college, he ran a self-made operation of porn rentals out of his dorm room and his small prices and impressive collection made him quite a popular man over a very extended area.
Subway can’t have their spokesperson of 15 years be involved in all this.
“Jared continues to cooperate with authorities and he expects no actions to be forthcoming. Both Jared and Subway agree that this was the appropriate step to take,” the company says in a statement.
The implication is that he will return as spokesperson once the investigation concludes and he emerges an innocent man. Assuming, of course, not a single damning piece of evidence about him comes to light.
Right now, all mentions of Jared and his weight loss and his work with Subway have been removed from the official website.
Jared Fogle and the “Subway Diet”
Of all the diets out there you’d expect to lend longtime results, one made up solely of Subway sandwiches is probably the last one to come to mind. Still, it worked for Jared, and because Subway jumped at the chance of turning him into their spokesperson in 2000, he is now a millionaire.
He is believed to be worth about $15 million (€13.6 million) and he’s been at front and center of Subway’s health-conscious movement for 15 years.
His story made national headlines in 1999, when he lost about 240 pounds (108.6 kg) by eating solely Subway sandwiches. When he became a brand spokesperson, the pitch was that Subway offered healthier choices for fast food meals than direct competitors, while also encouraging outdoor exercise.
This way, Subway Jared became like an American hero: here was a regular guy who had managed to change his life through sheer will, while still enjoying the best in life, and who became a millionaire. What’s there not to love about him?