John Crist (comedian)

John Crist (born March 20, 1984) is an American Christian comedian from Lilburn, Georgia.[1][2] His highest-viewed YouTube sketches include "Every parent at Disney", "Millennial International: Sponsor a Millennial Today", and "If golf and soccer switched announcers". He is also known for his work creating comedy sketch videos for Buzzfeed.[3][4] Crist has opened for Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Chappelle, Seth Meyers, Tim Hawkins, and Anjelah Johnson.[5][6][4]

For the decathlete, see John Crist.

John Crist
Crist in 2019
Birth nameJohn Crist
Born (1984-03-20) March 20, 1984
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
MediumStand-up
NationalityAmerican
Years active2009-present
GenresChristian comedy, sketch comedy, observational comedy
Subject(s)Christianity, millennials, consumerism, family
Websitejohncristcomedy.com

Crist's comedy often focuses on Christian subculture. He occasionally uses his comedy to critique problems he sees in the Christian church.[7][8]

In November 2019, allegations of sexual misconduct led to Crist cancelling his "Immature Thoughts" comedy tour, and a planned Netflix stand-up special featuring him was put "on hold."[9] In July 2020, he returned with a video message on social media claiming to accept responsibility for his actions and thanking his followers for their support in his recovery.[10]

Early life

John Crist was born on March 20, 1984 in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.[11][7] He has seven siblings.[12] His father was a pastor and, as a child, Crist was deeply entrenched in all aspects of Christian culture.[13][14] His first job was at a Chick-fil-A restaurant but he was fired for using his hand to stir the lemonade.[14][4]

Crist attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, graduating in 2006 with a degree in journalism.[4][15] After graduation, Crist moved to Colorado and in 2009, he began performing at open mic nights and local comedy clubs, as well as churches, restaurants, and casinos.[16][4] In 2009, Crist made his first national comedy debut with an appearance on Louie Anderson's Las Vegas Comedy Show Larger Than Life.[17][1]

Career
Shoot, I grew up in Georgia. My dad is a pastor, and I was the third of eight homeschooled children. Coming from a background like that, how do you NOT write jokes?[4][8]

Crist's first performance was in 2009 at an open mic night at a Chili's restaurant.[11][4] In 2012, Crist won The Denver Improv’s Got Laughs Competition, The Loonees Comedy Competition,[18] and also appeared as a finalist on Comedy Central's Up Next Comedy Competition.[1][17][4] Crist also performed for U.S. troops who were stationed in the Middle East as part of a comedy tour.[4]

In 2014, Crist appeared on Louie Anderson's episode of Gotham Comedy Live, which aired on AXS TV.[19] Anderson, said of Crist: "It's only a matter of time until John Crist is a household name. He is so likable, and his stand-up is top notch."[17] Later that year, in an effort to grow his career, Crist moved to Los Angeles.[20]

In late 2015, Crist released his first comedy special on DVD, I Got Questions.[21][22] Then, in the summer of 2016, he developed a three-minute comedy sketch called Christian Music: How It's Made. The video was written by Crist and produced by Aaron Chewning. In it, the pair starred as two record executives telling a new Christian band how to make it big in the music business.[23] Crist gained increased success after the video went viral.[7] The video has over two million views on YouTube.[7][23] In addition to Chewning, Crist frequently collaborates with fellow Christian comedian and musician Trey Kennedy.[24]

In fall 2017, Crist sold out his first headlining tour, Captive Thoughts, which spanned 20 East Coast cities.[19] In summer 2018, Crist moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and signed with United Talent Agency.[19] Later that year, he participated in Winter Jam,[25] an annual Christian music tour and launched his second headlining tour, Human Being Tour, which included 55 U.S. cities.[26][2] On May 19, 2019, Crist, DJ Mykael V, nobigdyl., and 1K Phew released a new rap single and music video based on Crist's regularly used phrase, Check Your Heart.[27] The song was number two on the iTunes Christian charts.[28]

Personal life

Crist was in a brief relationship with country singer Lauren Alaina from May to September 2019.[29]

Crist is a Christian.[19][30] He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.[7]

Sexual misconduct allegations and aftermath

According to several sources, over the last decade Crist had used his reputation and platform to harass and/or exploit young women.[31] In November 2019, Crist announced that he was canceling the remainder of his 2019 tour dates "in order to devote all my time and energy on getting healthy spiritually, mentally and physically." The statement acknowledged his "sexual sin and addiction struggles." As of November 7, Crist's Netflix special I Ain't Praying for That has been put on hold.[32] Crist was also at work on his first book, which was set to be published by WaterBrook, an imprint of Random House, in 2020.[33][34] It has also been put on hold. He was also replaced as a keynote speaker at the Strength to Stand Student Bible Conference by rapper Kanye West.[35]

On July 15, 2020, after retreating from the public eye for eight months, Crist posted a video message on his social media pages in which he stated he'd made mistakes, thanked his followers for their support in his ongoing recovery and expressed hope for the future.[36]

Tours
  • Don't Go Chasing Water Falls Tour (2014)
  • I Got Questions Tour (2016)
  • Captive Thoughts (2017)
  • The Human Being Tour (2018–2019)
  • Up Close (2019)
  • Immature Thoughts (2019)

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2013 Sounds on 29th Himself TV Series
2014 Gotham Comedy Live Himself TV Series Documentary
2015 Road Hard Himself Film
2015 I Got Questions Himself Video
2016 Weekday Wrap-Up Co-Host, Writer 1 Episode
2019 Fox and Friends Himself - Christian Comedian 1 Episode
TBA I Ain't Praying For That[37] Himself Netflix Special

Discography
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Year Title Peak positions Certifications Album
US
 US Christ.
 US
Christ.
Airplay
 AUS
 CAN
2019 "Check Your Heart"
(with 1K Phew, DJ Mykael V, and nobigdyl.)		 —31[38]——— Non-album single

Books
  • Untag Me: The Subtle Art of Appearing Better Than You Really Are (TBA)

References
  1. Reis, Allison (January 26, 2016). "Salute". Salute Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  2. "Jen Hatmaker - For the Love of Laughter: Episode 04". jenhatmaker.com. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  3. Ferak, John (July 25, 2018). "Comedian John Crist Brings Tour To Joliet's Rialto". Patch. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  4. Sayasane, Chelsey. "Comedian, John Crist, Performing in Mobile!". FOX10 News. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  5. Writer, Blake Hannon Contributing. "What's so funny about being a Christian? A lot, this preacher's son says". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  6. Liscomb, Meghan (May 16, 2019). "John Crist: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  7. Paulson, Dave. "John Crist: A Christian comedian who's gently poking fun at faith". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  8. Johnson, Abbi (December 5, 2018). "Jeff Foxworthy & John Crist Coming to the VBC". Tennessee Valley Weekend. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  9. Berglund, Taylor. "John Crist Cancels 2019 Tour Dates After Reports of Sexting, Harassment, Manipulation". Charisma News. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  10. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/july/john-crist-comedian-facebook-back-online-christian-video.html
  11. NOCHIM, TONY. "CHECK YOUR HEART: Comedian John Crist coming to Southeast April 11". The Southeast Outlook. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  12. "Comedian Hilariously Sums Up What It's Like to Be a Dad at Disneyland". Us Weekly. August 2, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  13. "LAUGH: Comedian John Crist on keeping it funny: 'Comedy, it breaks down the walls'". Glenn Beck. October 8, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  14. Parke, Caleb. "Christian comedian John Crist got fired from Chick-fil-A for doing this". Fox News. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  15. "Alumni - Journalism and Mass Communication and Communication Studies". www.samford.edu. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  16. "The John Crist Channel | Laugh Factory Comedy Network". www.laughfactory.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  17. "Cuss Free Comedy: John Crist". zaniesnashville.laughstub.com. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  18. "John Crist - Christian Comedian - Up and Coming Stand-Up Comic". www.outreach.com. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  19. Sun, Rebecca. "UTA Signs Christian Comedian John Crist (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  20. Catala, Paul. "Comedians John Crist, Mike Williams bring risible religion to Polk Theatre". The Ledger. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  21. "John Crist". IMDb. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  22. Staff, Interrobang (January 12, 2016). "The Struggle and the Upside of Being a "Christian Comic" in 2016". The Interrobang. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  23. johnbcrist (August 16, 2016), HOW IT'S MADE: Christian Music, retrieved May 24, 2019
  24. "John Crist Throws Funny Jokes With Trey Kennedy About Bible Characters Engaged In The New Technology". Crossmap. February 2, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  25. "Winter Jam 2018 features comedian John Crist for the first time". www.christiandaily.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  26. Longs, Herb. "John Crist Announces Nationwide "The Human Being" Tour". TheChristianBeat.org. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  27. "John Crist Releases 'Check Your Heart' Music Video". CCM Magazine. May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  28. Law, Jeannie. "Comedian John Crist's new song 'Check Your Heart' climbs the charts". The Christian Post. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  29. Mizoguchi, Karen (September 16, 2019). "Lauren Alaina Reveals She and Boyfriend John Crist Split Ahead of Her Dancing with the Stars Debut". People. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  30. Showalter, Brandon. "Comedian John Crist: Pastors not responsible for consumerism in churches, members are". The Christian Post. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  31. Berglund, Taylor. "John Crist Cancels 2019 Tour Dates After Reports of Sexting, Harassment, Manipulation". Charisma News. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  32. Berglund, Taylor. "John Crist Cancels 2019 Tour Dates After Reports of Sexting, Harassment, Manipulation". Charisma News. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  33. "Stand-Up Comedian John Crist Publishing First Book in Spring 2020". WaterBrook & Multnomah. February 6, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  34. Wenner, Emma. "Religion and Spirituality Book Deals: February 13, 2019". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  35. Koslosky, Kayla (December 10, 2019). "Kanye West to replace comedian John Crist at Christian Youth Conference". ChristianHeadlines. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  36. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/july/john-crist-comedian-facebook-back-online-christian-video.html
  37. MOGHADDAMI, VICTORIA (August 6, 2019). "Comic John Crist Gets Frank on How He Paired up With Social Media Personality Trey Kennedy (Exclusive)". PopCulture.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  38. "Hot Christian Songs - June 1, 2019". Retrieved June 5, 2019.
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