‘Clean and Hip’: Jim Gaffigan Celebrates 10th Stand-Up Special
By Movieguide® Contributor
Family-friendly comedian Jim Gaffigan is reflecting on his time in show business as he reaches a career milestone: his 10th stand-up special, DARK PALE.
“In high school, the closest thing to the entertainment industry was the marching band,” Gaffigan said of his early days. He appeared in just one school play, and while he enjoyed it, the comedian studied finance in college and ended up in advertising.
After a co-worker suggested he take an improv class to combat his fear of public speaking, Gaffigan fell in love with comedy. He started performing while still working his day job. Long nights at comedy clubs meant Gaffigan spent many work days sleeping in his office, eventually resulting in his firing.
“When they came in to fire me, I was actually asleep,” he laughed. “They had to wake me up to lay me off.”
Gaffigan continued working on his stand-up career, which paid off when he got booked on LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN.
“Suddenly, I was getting weekend spots at the best clubs, and all the people I tried to meet with wanted to meet with me,” Gaffigan explained. “It led Comedy Central to give me a half hour, which led to me being able to sell out comedy clubs, which led to my first special BEYOND THE PALE, which just propelled me to everything I’m doing today.”
Despite all this time in the industry, Gaffigan’s peers say he continues to get better and win over audiences.
“His brand of humor is both clean and hip, and I have seen him excel in both alternative rooms and rural settings,” his agent, Nick Nuciforo, said. “The ability to succeed with any audience is a superpower that opens up unlimited opportunities.”
Fans love Gaffigan’s family-friendly humor, as well as his openness about his Christian faith.
“My path to my faith is very kind of individual,” he said during an appearance on NPR. “I grew up in a Catholic family in the Midwest. And I knew people of different faiths and people that were atheists and people that were agnostic. And it really never came up, but I think that in present-day America…is that we are in the middle of this culture war. And there’s a quote in this episode [of his sitcom THE JIM GAFFIGAN SHOW] where I say, ‘I just want to talk about avocados.’ And some of it is—I do just want to do jokes. I don’t want to be a divisive figure. I don’t want to pick a team. I want to make people laugh and hopefully be humorous about the human experience, you know, whether they’re people of any stripes of life.”
The comedian discusses religion in DARK PALE, like his favorite parts of the Catholic faith, and critics have praised his work in the special.
“This new version of Gaffigan is a delight in a space where comedians continue to push the boundaries like never before, which was refreshing,” Ready Steady Cut’s review reads, adding that it’s “a very good comedy special.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Gaffigan’s faith:
Gaffigan also talks about how difficult bringing young children to church can be: “On Sundays, Jeannie and I haul everybody to church. Even though it’s virtually impossible to get a young child to sit still for long….we believe that the practice and exposure will benefit them, even if they are too young to understand.”
“At the core of my being I find it a relief to know that I’m not in charge,” he joked. “And dropping by church by myself, I think I’ve heard God say, ‘Thanks for not bringing your kids this time. It’s a little quieter.’”
Gaffigan continued, “People assume we have a large family for religious reasons. Not true. If anything, kids make you religious. Believe me, once you lose a kid in a New York City park, atheist or not, you start talking to God: ‘If you can help me find my son, I promise I will never ever do anything bad again.’ Kids and illness are the great gateways to faith.”
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