Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: o4/29/24

What’s so funny? Christian comedian Chonda Pierce reflects on her three-decade-plus career and finding the balance between humor that heals and humor that doesn’t in her new book Life is Funny Until It’s Not: A Comic’s Story of Love, Loss, and Lunacy: A Comic’s Story of Love, Loss and Lunacy.

JWK: What led you to write Life is Funny Until It’s Not?

Chonda Pierce: I think this is probably about the 15th book I’ve written down through the years. I’ve been doing this for 32 years. For me, as I start thinking about slowing down and rerouting my schedule – you know, since I am over 60 – I thought it was just imperative to get the story done and told. Down through the years, I’ve talked a lot about my life, my family, death and all those things but life keeps being life and more and more of your story unfolds. I just thought it was time to have it all in one setting, kind of a memoir of what I’ve learned – most often the hard way.

JWK: What are some of those lessons?

CP: I think trusting in God. You know what I mean? You really, really can. When you become a Christian – I feel this way, anyway – you don’t know everything all at once. You know that you are secure for your trip to Heaven but the things you learn about God while you’re still here on this Earth are amazing… What The Bible says is true…He is faithful…He will answer your prayer. He will come through. It takes a little bit of living to (learn to trust in) that. You live and learn as the old adage is.

JWK: As a comedian, what role has humor played in getting you through dark and hard times?

CP: I think laughter for most comics – and I don’t think I’m unusual in this; people in general – will sometimes use laughter as a great deflection of their pain without dealing with their pain. You would rather just laugh it off, make a joke or take a stab at it in a sarcastic way without dealing with really what’s going on deep inside where that pain is sitting and what was the abyss that put it there. It’s easier to just make a joke about it than to unravel some dysfunction that may come from trauma in your life. That takes work.

JWK: Is there a balance between finding humor in life’s difficulties while also being sensitive to serious subjects and dealing with them in serious ways?

CP: Absolutely. I have a good 25-30 minute funny story about my husband. We lost the marker on his grave and had to search for it in the woods. Well, I couldn’t have told that three days after he died. I had to wait months before just mentioning him didn’t make me tear up. Time is always a good part of our healing. We hate to say it. I used to hate it when people would say “Oh, give yourself some time.” You want an instant fix -especially when you’re spoiled like me. Comedy has instant gratification. There’s comedy in that moment or it’s not, you know what I mean? You don’t have to wait to see if something works. You’re humiliated right away! So, I think sometimes – if you’re not careful – you take that part of a comic’s life and you want to see that aspect everywhere. I want an instant fix! I don’t want to have to wait for a mechanic to come out here and fix my refrigerator. I want it done right then. Sadly, (comedy) teaches you a little bit of impatience with the process of healing.

JWK: Because the laughter gives you a quick fix?

CP: I think you know if your work is good when you write a joke, you tell it and they laugh right away. You’re like “This is great!” If they don’t (laugh) you drop it out of your repertoire. You leave it out of your set right away. So, either instant rejection or instant gratification is what you glean from writing good material. You can get really addicted to that. Part of that is our whole world has not helped at all…You can email somebody and they get your letter immediately. You used to have to wait three or four days when you wrote it out with pen and paper and then waited for the reply. I think what’s monumental is there’s a lot that happens in the waiting – a lot of growth, a lot of healing, a lot of sorting it out, of why this happened or why that didn’t happen. That goes totally against when you’re telling a joke and you know immediately if it works.

So, I think, for me, I look back at when I was writing this book. I had so many “Aha!” moments about myself and learned so much about myself writing it. It’s a brutally honest book. One of my friends asked me the other day “Do you think it’s too honest?” I said “No.” If this was my first book and I was brand new at my job, it might take people back a little bit but I have been blessed with a wonderful following for 32 years. Most of my fans already know these stories – but many of them will not know what happened during the waiting.” Like I was saying, what I learned in the waiting – for healing or waiting for time to pass – that’s what I wanted to get across more than anything in this book.

JWK: I guess humor itself can be used to help heal or to make things worse.

CP: Yeah – or just to delay (healing). Humor will delay your true growing if you’re using it an an unhealthy way. You always here the stories about the class clown. You know, those are usually the kids that are hurting the most. You know, the ones that are loud or disruptive. You find out later that those are the ones that had the roughest home life. So, comedy is the same way.

I believe that God is the most beautiful creator of all good things. It’s Satan’s job to take each one of those good things and tear them down. So, comedy can be used in a really great, refreshing and fun way or it can be used to destroy somebody, or hurt somebody. Hopefully, my comedy has always been helpful or a great reprieve for (people). I pray that I take it a step further in that my comedy is also something you can learn (from) and (can be used to) teach a great truth with.

JWK: How does Cancel Culture fit into comedy. I believe you’ve said “Cancel Culture means missing some great laughs.” What do you mean by that?

CP: It does. First of all, when you start messing with the comics there are couple of things that happen. One, you’re missing the opportunity to appreciate the First Amendment, the freedom of speech. You know what I mean? They have every right to say or laugh about whatever they want to laugh at. If you start trying to regulate comedians, you’re going to miss an opportunity to follow what’s going on in culture. You can follow some of your favorite comics and really see what’s going on in the world by listening to their routine. I think when you start messing with that, that’s – to me – sad. Now, I would love for all comedy to be nice and clean and just just joyful – but it’s not gonna be that way. Everybody has a right to express what they want to get a laugh out of. That’s their right. The interesting thing is the Cancel Culture is coming after people who are pretty decent folks (laughs). You used to think it was (raunchy comics like) Andrew Dice Clay and those kind of people that would just get beat up for…what they say but now it’s the clean Christian comics that are getting in trouble by just talking about their truth.

JWK: So, what’s the overall message of your book?

CP: Hopefully, the overall message is that there’s a girl who went through a list of traumas and came out of it still loving God, still loving life and still laughing. That it’s possible.

JWK: How can humor – combined with faith – help get us through troubled times?

CP: I think what it does is it’s icing on the cake. You know what I mean? I have no righteousness without Christ. I have no joy and peace without Christ. So, when The Bible talks about laughter doing good like a medicine, that’s exactly what it is. You can either go through… I’m trying to think of an interesting disease. You can either catch a cold and just go through it and hang on for the duration or you can go take an Alka-Seltzer and feel a little bit better and get through the day. For me, that’s what comedy does. Laughter is that great icing on the cake. I can go through my day and I’ll be fine. I’ll make it to the end but, boy, if I could do something that would help me laugh through the day, that makes the day go a lot easier.

JWK: Do you think, as a country we have, to a degree, lost our sense of humor?

CP: I think a lot of people have. The sad thing is in our country right now we’re so divided that if you don’t think like I do – and if you don’t approach life like I do – then you’re out. We’ve lost the ability to allow people to be themselves and that’s a shame. I think that the divide between Republicans and Democrats is so great – and so angry – that it’s a shame. It’s breaking families apart. It’s breaking people apart.

We’ve also raised a generation of young people that ( say) “I don’t want to believe in your God and, if you believe in God, you’re an idiot.” You know, instead of just saying “Okay, well to each their own.” For some reason now, we’re in a culture where people are adamant that you think and be like them. That’s not how it’s gonna be – and that’s not how it was meant to be in this world. We are different shapes, sizes and colors. That’s what makes the world beautiful. When we start wanting to clone and have everybody think the same way and be the same way, we’re in trouble.

JWK: That can apply to the right and the left.

CP: Absolutely!  Absolutely! There’s no secret about how I vote. A lot of people ask you. They stick the microphone in your face. They want to know who you’re siding with for the presidency and all of that. The sad thing is if they don’t like your answer, then they’ll say ugly things about you instead of going “Okay, that’s your answer. I get that. Okay, Cool. Next question…” You know what I mean? I know very right-wing people that I go “Whoa! That’s a little too far.” Then I know far, far left liberals “Whoa! That’s going to destroy the country.” I mean it sounds so trite and so easy but laughter and love does make the world go around. I think Jesus was right when He said one of the greatest commandments is “Love your neighbor like you love yourself.” That’s huge.

JWK: So, what’s next for you after this book?

CP: I think I’m gonna slow down a little bit, to tell you the truth. I’ve been touring for 32 years and that bus is looking less and less homey. It is less and less comfortable. I also feel like there are new things on the horizon. When you are touring all the time, you don’t get to explore other options as much. Although, I love my job, I love what I do but if we don’t go out there and talk we don’t get paid. So, that’s what you do. Keep working. You keep working because you love it but it also keeps you from being able to do some things that you would enjoy. I’ve been in enough movies that I know I’d like to do a little more of that. I’ve been a guest on enough television shows that I say “Oh, I’d like to host something like that.”

JWK: Would you like to do a TV show?

CP: I think I would. Some day I’d like to be Ellen!…I do look at things on the horizon that I’d like to try. The key – at a certain age – is keeping yourself healthy enough to be able to do it. That’s what I’m working on right now. I broke my back a few weeks ago so I’m trying to get better…and still tour. It’s nuts.

JWK: Oh, wow! Is your back healing? Are you feeling okay?

CP: Yeah, yeah. I am. It’s a slow process. You know, when you fall and you’re over 60 it just hurts your feelings. It’s an awareness of your age. One quick trip and in minutes – or seconds – you’re whole perspective on life changes just from falling off the side of the tub. There you go!

JWK: But everything’s basically alright?

CP: Yeah.

JWK: Good. I hope you heal quickly. Is there anything else you’d like to say as we wrap up?

CP: I think that about covers it. Great questions! I do appreciate that. I am so appreciative of the opportunities. I said that just last night at the show. I was like “I can’t believe I’ve been doing this 32 years. I am 64-years-old and the room is still filled up with people that bought tickets. I’m like “Y’all are crazy!”

JWK: People want to hear what you have to say. That’s a great compliment!

CP: It’s a beautiful, beautiful gift. It’s a beautiful gift.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.