John Crist Reveals His Comedy Pet Peeve

Published: January 3, 2024

John Crist Reveals His Comedy Pet Peeve

By Movieguide® Contributor

Comedian John Crist is sharing his thoughts on the shifting nature of comedy in today’s world.

“That’s the beauty of comedy in 2023 — no one can say it out loud, but everyone’s thinking it,” he said during an appearance on the “Unashamed with Phil & Jase Robertson” podcast.

“People say it must be tough to be a comedian in 2023, and I say the opposite because comedy — by the nature of it, you have to cross the line, say something you wouldn’t normally say,” he explained. “Back in the ’90s, you had to say something so wild that would be across the line. Now, the line is right here, so all you have to do is inch over it, and I think it makes comedy easier.”

Crist elaborated on this point in a conversation with Fox News.

“When everything is normal, and you’re just kind of living in your Pleasantville life, there’s nothing funny,” he shared. “But when people are saying things to you on the internet and on television and…you’re not allowed to think or be critical, that’s when comedy is really at its best, that’s when comedy in a culture is doing its job. Speech wise, when you try to force information on us, that’s when we as comics make fun of it.”

Crist spoke about his willingness to poke fun at some of life’s more ridiculous aspects during an interview with CBN about his recent “Emotional Support Tour.”

“‘Emotional support’ is a play on words,” he said. “It’s kind of making fun of people on an airplane that will bring an emotional support peacock, or I’ve seen a horse or lizard or a rabbit or a snake. It’s making fun of that and also giving a nod to the emotional support that does take place when people come and laugh together.”

He continued, “So many people have emailed and said, ‘Man, thank you so much. We needed that. You just feel lighter.’ But the same thing it does to everyone else in the crowd, it does to me…it’s unbelievable and, I believe, therapeutic for everybody.”

Movieguide® previously reported on Crist’s comedy:

Now, nearly four years later, his motivation for his comedy comes from his desire to impact people for good.

“[I] don’t like what [I] see on the news and what [I] see in the culture and how, you know, how kids are behaving,” he said. “Everything [I] don’t like, I want to influence it… I’m coming at it in a way that kind of with humor to kind of bring exposure. To bring about change.”

He also uses his story to inspire others to bring their sin to light rather than continue to hide it.