Jeff Foxworthy has proven his talent by successfully encompassing many outlets of comedy. He is one of the top selling comedy-recording artists ever. He has authored over 26 books. He has hosted and starred on television shows. He did all of this by convincing America that everyone is a little bit of a redneck. Jeff Foxworthy is a game changer.
Born and bred Atlanta, Georgia, the stand-up comic comes from a conservative background. Originally on his way to having a nine to five career, he found great enjoyment in making his coworkers laugh. This encouraged him to try his hand at comedy. In 1984, the Foxworthy entered into the the Great Southeastern Laugh Off. Coming out the winner helped to cement his young, comedic ambitions.
By 1990, he won the Best Stand Up at the American Comedy Awards. His trademark, “You might be a redneck,” had developed by this time after seeing a valet at a Detroit bowling alley. The phrase became such a significant part of his act that he recorded the album, You Might Be a Redneck If. In no time, it went double platinum. This led up to ABC creating The Jeff Foxworthy Show loosely based off the comedian’s bits. It lasted a season, and then, it was bought by NBC, only running for one more season. Having moved on from this, Foxworthy recorded another album, and in 1999, he started a radio show The Jeff Foxworthy Countdown which ran for 10 years. The WB launched Blue Collar TV in 2004, which included Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Bill Engvall. The sketch show was such a hit that it led to the Blue Collar Tour.
Foxworthy’s success did not go unnoticed. In 2005, he earned his “rite of passage” and was the subject of a Comedy Central Roast. Nick Dipaolo, Colin Quinn, Lisa Lampanelli, and Greg Giraldo were on the panel. Dipaolo made a jab at the fortunes of the roastee and his tour wealth, quipping, “You think you can stop calling it blue f*ckin’ collar at $15 million dollars?”
Even with that sort of profit, Foxworthy continued to be working on something. He wrote joke books playing off his redneck act, and he wrote children’s books. He has hosted Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Foxworthy’s Outdoors, and The Great American Bible Challenge. Since 2005, he has hosted a Sirius XM show. Recently, he and Larry the Cable Guy released a dual Netflix special, We’ve been thinking.
Thirty years later and the strength of his act remains making the stereotypes of the South and Southern culture relatable to everyone. He redefines “rednecks” as a term that applies beyond a locale. It includes hobbies, family, and jobs. He gets dirty too without having to use any adult language, declaring, “You may be a redneck if your family tree doesn’t fork.” It’s a family friendly sounding joke about incest. Foxworthy is clever. Foxworthy is a game changer.
