Jeff Foxworthy on Laughter, Purpose, and Why He Still Loves the Road - See Him LIVE at the RiverCenter on Friday, May 1!

4 hours ago
4 min read

Interview by Carrie Beth Wallace

Some entertainers build careers. Others build relationships.

For more than four decades, comedian Jeff Foxworthy has done something rarer than either: he has grown alongside his audience. From jokes about being single to stories about marriage, parenting, and now grandparenthood, Foxworthy’s comedy has become a kind of shared timeline for generations of families who have laughed with him through every season of life.

Ahead of his upcoming performance at the RiverCenter in Columbus on Friday, May 1, Foxworthy spoke with The Columbusite about the staying power of stand-up, finding your God-given gifts, the surprising joy of getting older, and why he still can’t quite quit the road.

*Jeff Foxworthy. Image courtesy of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.*

“It’s almost like we’ve done life together.”

When Foxworthy reflects on his decades-long career, he doesn’t talk first about sold-out shows or television success. He talks about connection.

“When I first started out, I talked about being single, then I talked about being a newlywed, and then I talked about having babies,” he said. “And so people like your dad... it’s almost like we’ve done life together.”

That perspective helps explain why his work continues to resonate. His comedy has always drawn from ordinary life: family dynamics, marriage, misunderstandings, the small absurdities people recognize instantly in their own homes.

“The biggest compliment for me is after the show when somebody comes back and says, ‘Oh my Lord, you’ve been in our house,’” he said.

For Foxworthy, the laughter comes not from mocking others, but from helping people laugh at themselves in situations they never thought of as funny.

Laughter as a “release valve”

Foxworthy also spoke candidly about the deeper value of comedy in difficult times.

“I’m not naive enough to think laughter makes people’s problems go away,” he said. “But it is like a release valve that keeps the boiler from exploding.”

Before performances, he often encourages audiences to set down whatever burdens they’re carrying—financial stress, emotional struggles, physical challenges—for just a little while.

“It allows people to put their burden down for a minute, recharge, and then you go back out and deal with it some more.”

It’s a thoughtful description of what many audience members have likely felt for years: that a night of laughter can offer more than entertainment. It can offer relief.

“I view it as a gift from God.”

In an era where celebrity interviews often stay surface-level, Foxworthy spoke openly about faith and purpose.

“I don’t know why I can do it,” he said of comedy. “I view it as a gift from God.”

He was quick to add that everyone has gifts, though they may look different from person to person.

“Some people’s might be taking care of old people. Some people’s might be training dogs. This just happens to be mine.”

That belief has shaped the advice he gives young people and his own family. Rather than simply telling others to “follow your passion,” Foxworthy encourages them to ask a different question: What are you good at? If you discover your gifts, he said, you can use them to bless others.

The work behind the laughs

Though his delivery often feels effortless, Foxworthy made clear that great comedy is built through years of discipline and experimentation.

He is currently developing another special, one that will pull back the curtain on how stand-up is made. Rather than simply filming a polished hour, he wants audiences to see the process: testing new jokes in small clubs, failing, reworking material, and watching a simple thought grow into a full routine.

“To do a 60-minute special... it’s a year of hard work to get 60 new minutes of stand-up,” he said.

Even after 40-plus years, he says the mystery never disappears.

“Sometimes I have something and I think, ‘Oh, this is gonna kill,’ and it lays there. Other times, I throw something out and think, ‘Well, this is stupid,’ and people are beating the table.” That unpredictability, he said, is part of what still fascinates him.

A familiar face in our region

Though many know Foxworthy as a nationally recognized entertainer, he shared that he has long-standing ties to our area. He owns a farm in nearby Pine Mountain and says that when he isn’t working, he’s often there on a tractor. He also splits time in Atlanta near his children and grandchildren.

For Columbus audiences, that makes his upcoming visit feel less like a celebrity stop and more like welcoming a neighbor back to town.

Why he keeps going

Foxworthy admitted he once thought a certain special might be his last. But stepping away completely still feels unlikely.

“I still enjoy it,” he said.

And maybe that’s the simplest explanation for a career with this kind of longevity: gratitude, curiosity, and a genuine love for making people laugh.

For audiences in Columbus, Georgia that means at least one more chance to spend an evening with someone who has helped generations laugh their way through life. ◼️