Jeff Foxworthy eager to return to stage

ATLANTA -- Jeff Foxworthy is such an embedded presence in our pop culture world that NBC's "The Good Place" earlier this month opened an episode with a throwaway Foxworthy joke.

Michael, played by Ted Danson, is complaining about an Arizona library's book selection.

"This library is depressing. All they have in the poetry section is Jeff Foxworthy books!" The title of the book: "Roses are red... and so is my neck!"

In a recent interview, Foxworthy said friends quickly informed him of the reference. "Someone sent me a screen shot," he said. "You went to a lot of trouble to freeze that TV show to send me the shot!"

He was amused the writers of the show even remotely equated, however ironically, that his redneck jokes were like poetry. "Maybe my kids books," he said. "Certainly not the redneck jokes. I did try to make the kids book rhyme and then I'm like, 'This is hard! No wonder Dr. Seuss is a big deal. This isn't easy!'"

Ultimately, said, "it's like a compliment. I guess you've made some kind of mark on society!"

Foxworthy over the years has sold a boatload of CDs and DVDs when those types of products actually sold. He has landed a WB sketch comedy show and hosted two game shows, most notably Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" He's been roasted on Comedy Central. At age 60, he doesn't have much to prove but continues to plug away at his stand-up and said he has two possible TV show deals coming his way, one possibly in Atlanta.

He said he lobbied for the tax credits in the late 2000s, then never got to take advantage of them.

At end of the day, I'm a stand-up," he said. He said he spent 18 months on the road with Larry the Cable Guy but was ready this past year to just do solo shows.

"I want to do a full hour and a half," he said. "So this year, it was just me by myself. I did it a lot and really enjoyed it."

While Foxworthy provides mostly new material for folks who have seen him in recent years, he said he'll throw in a few older jokes because he realizes some attendees actually get a kick out of hearing them again.

And he truly loves the craft of joke telling and attends other comic's shows to support them and learn.

But he doesn't chortle and guffaw the way regular folks do. He recalled opening for Jerry Seinfeld 25 to 30 years ago in St. Louis and watching him intently from the side of a stage. A woman came up, looking concerned, and asked him if he was enjoying himself.

"I was!" he said. "I was just breaking apart the jokes in my head. I was telling myself, 'That was really funny!' But I wasn't laughing. I was more like a football player studying tape!"

Foxworthy's entrepreneurial spirit has not dimmed.

We last spoke earlier this year about his new board game, "Relative Insanity," which is kind of like "Cards Against Humanity" with Foxworthy's silly take on relatives the focal point. It was just a random idea of his that became hundreds of note cards filled with jokes, then an actual board game.

It's now a best seller and promoted on Amazon's Launchpad, which showcases fresh, innovative producers. On Amazon, the game has received a stellar 4.5 stars out of 5 from 191 reviewers.

As Gloria K wrote, "Have played Cards Against Humanity and it's a little too vulgar for my taste. Relative Humanity is still edgy but much more family friendly. Foxworthy's version is just as funny. Great for adults or teens."

"They want me to develop another game," Foxworthy said. "But I don't know what I'm doing! I don't know if I can do it under pressure."

Story Filed By Cox Newspapers

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