Jeff Foxworthy

MAIN

Recommend (0)

•

Comments (0)

BIRTHDAY

September 06, 1958

RECENT CREDITS

Racing Stripes (FILM) Jan. 14, 2005

Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (FILM) Jan. 10, 2003

View all Jeff Foxworthy Credits

BIOGRAPHY

Expand Full Bio

Many comics can be permanently tied to a trademark, from Rodney Dangerfield's "I don't get no respect" to Tim Allen's machismo-fueled grunting, but perhaps no stock phrase is more easily identifiable than that of schtickmeister Jeff Foxworthy. Foxworthy's slogan "You might be a redneck if..." endeared him to millions of American blue-collar types during the early to mid-'90s and served as a veritable staple of his approach to humor. Born in Atlanta, Foxworthy attended the Georgia Institute of Technology but dropped out prior to graduation and worked as an IBM technician during the early to mid-'80s, when he impetuously decided to enter an amateur standup contest. The then-nascent comedian won the competition -- an accomplishment that encouraged him to drop out of his IBM gig and step behind the microphone full-time.

Foxworthy's debut book, presciently entitled, You Might Be a Redneck If... hit stores in 1989, followed by a CD, which racked up an astonishing 3.5 million copies -- making it the single most lucrative comedy record up through that time. Successive albums followed, in addition to a blizzard of Foxworthy (and "redneck") themed merchandise that grossed several million dollars per year in its prime. Unfortunately, the comedian's transition to filmed entertainment was a somewhat bumpy one; a domestically themed sitcom, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, premiered on ABC in 1995 but folded after only two seasons. Foxworthy encountered far greater success by pooling the resources of several similar comedians into a "Blue Collar" comedy troupe that toured throughout the country. Comprised of Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy, the ensemble turned out a series of standup films and scored high ratings with their own sketch comedy series, Blue Collar TV (2004), presented as a kind of "redneck variation" on Saturday Night Live. Foxworthy also found considerable success by hosting the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (2007).

~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Collapse Full Bio

Headlines

The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring

News Roundup: June 27

Jun. 27, 2002

Actor Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf the Grey in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, said the title for the second film will not be changed despite an online petition urging the director to rename it. Ian McKellen The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers R Kelly Penelope Spheeris Johnny Rotten John Lydon Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs Blue Collar Comedy Tour Jeff ...

Read Story

Just for Laughs Festival gears up

Posted: May. 23, 2001

View all Jeff Foxworthy Headlines