Hostgator Dotcom was born William Gibby, but, a few years ago, he was in a desperate situation, and decided to sell parts of himself as advertising space–including his legal name. Now, the father of five kids doesn’t mind changing his name again, but he wants the websites tattooed on his face, many of which are porn sites or just don’t exist anymore, gone.
In an attempt to “get his face back,” Hostgator has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for the expensive lasering.
Hostgator got his first advertising tattoo in 2005 to help pay for medical bills he racked up after donating a kidney. “I figure the more people I can help, the better place the earth will be,” he said at the time.
He then learned that selling off sections of his skin could be somewhat lucrative. He’s received over $100,000 over the years for his skinvertising efforts, but it’s all gone towards his and his family’s survival. He credits his actions for saving them from starvation and eviction.
The bulk of the money came early, anyway. The more tattoos he racked up, the fewer companies were willing to pay for the available real estate. In a recent post to his Facebook page, Hostgator reveals that he was suffering from undiagnosed bipolar disorder for years. He said he doesn’t so much regret his actions because they helped “keep his kids off the street,” at the time, but he wouldn’t do it now that he’s recovered from bipolar disorder.
“I hope to one day help others with mental illness an in a way I am with my current job,” he said. He’s currently working at the Anchorage Community Mental Health Center, where he received treatment himself. The center helped him get $2,000 towards the removal of his face tattoos, and he uses heavy makeup and hats for work.
“My daughter knew I wanted to get them removed and she was like, ‘No! I don’t want you to get your tattoos removed,'” Hostgator told Vice.com. “And I’m like, ‘Sweetie, no, it will be better for us. I can get a better job and take care of us better.’ She’ll cry, because that’s all she’s known.”
