As a student of stand-up comedy I love to know little tidbits about the comics I enjoy. But imagine my surprise when I discovered a comic I’ve enjoyed for years is very likely a routine thief.
When you steal someone else’s material, you’re a hack. Several comics have been accused of it over the years but I had no idea Jeff Foxworthy might be one of them. He built his reputation on his “You might be a redneck” routines and his name is synonymous with them. But an old bit that ran on comedy radio this week had me seriously wondering whether Foxworthy is just a hack – and it pains me to even suggest it.
Jerry Clower was a country comedian from Mississippi who died in 1998 after heart bypass surgery. He was very well known and is considered a pioneer in the realm of live comedy performances. One of his signature routines was how to tell if someone is a redneck. Take a listen and tell me if you recognize anything, word for frickin’ word.
Milton Berle stole from Bob Hope, Bill Cosby stole from George Carlin, Carlos Mencia stole from everyone!
The example above of Foxworthy stealing from Jerry Clower is pretty hard to refute as far as I’m concerned. Like you said, it’s almost “word for frickin’ word”!
Carlos Mencia. He was the one I was trying to think of who is widely accused of being a hack.