Join Host Michael Waddell as he sits down with fellow Georgia native and friend since the early days, renowned stand-up comedian, actor and TV show host Jeff Foxworthy. Best known for his iconic "You might be a redneck if…" one-liners and starring in the incredibly successful Blue Collar Comedy Tour during the early 2000s. He also hosted his own The Jeff Foxworthy Show, which ran on major networks during the mid-to-late '90s, as well as the extremely popular Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, which aired in several variations from 2007 to 2015. Along with his all-time best-selling comedy recordings – 1993's You Might Be a Redneck if… and 1995's Games Rednecks Play, Foxworthy has written numerous books, including "You Might Be a Redneck If…" the autobiographical "No Shirt, No Shoes… No Problem!" and "The Redneck Dictionary," just to name a few. Foxworthy may be equally respected for the way he has conducted his professional career in the entertainment industry, for his faith and family life – he has been married to his wife, Pamela Gregg, for over four decades, has two daughters, Juliane and Jordan, and is now very much enjoying the role of grandparent – and for his passionate pursuit of the outdoor lifestyle, especially hunting whitetail deer with bow and arrow. Clearly, one of America's most beloved comedians of all time, Jeff Foxworthy is our special guest on this episode of The Michael Waddell Podcast, presented by Spandau Arms and in partnership with Folds of Honor and Cigars International. In the beginning of Foxworthy's stand-up comedy career, he had a run of about eight years where he was booked to perform nearly 500 times in a year. Though he'd been a hunter and angler since childhood, his rigorous schedule made it extremely difficult to find time to get back into the outdoors. That's until he got a copy of Realtree Monster Bucks and it reawakened the hunter within:
"So, I never got to hunt; I never got to fish. I mean, I grew up hunting and fishing all the time, and then I got so busy I didn't get to do it. I remember somebody sent me a Realtree tape, VHS of course, and we had a little bitty TV with a VHS player in the kitchen, and I put that tape in. My wife and I were making dinner, and I didn't even know there were hunting shows, and they were showing these deer that were bigger than anything I'd ever seen in my life, and as they were doing it my wife goes, 'Well, they're not going to show it getting shot are they?' and I said, 'No, they ain't going to…' Kaboom! And I was like, 'Oh, my word!' I didn't even know this was a thing, and then I was addicted to it. We never thought about filming a hunt!"
Foxworthy went on to host and star in many hunting programs over the years, and his hunting roots run deep. "The first buck I ever shot," he said, "was a five-pointer, and maybe this big [holding his hands only inches apart]. But I remember, I'm sitting in one of those homemade, nailed 2x4s in the tree and I see something move on the little dirt road below me, and my first thought was, 'There's no way it's a deer; that was a squirrel." And then it moved a little bit more, and then I went, 'Oh, crap, that's a deer!' I mean, this is a deer that's close to me, and I ended up shooting him, and like I said, he was this big [motioning with his hands again]. Rode him around town all day long with him hanging out the tailgate so people could [see him]. It could have just as well been the state record. I couldn't have been prouder of it. I cut his horns off, and they set next to my bed for years. For years! I mean, they were about that tall [motioning with his hands again] and sometimes I'd just pick them up [turning them in admiration] and say, 'That's a buck, Y'all!'"
Over his years of hunting on and hosting programs like Tecomate Whitetail Nation on Outdoor Channel, Foxworthy has seen and taken his fair share of big bucks, and today he actively manages his own Georgia property. "But I will tell you this. I don't know how many deer I've seen in my life…20,000; but if I'm riding around my farm and two does run across the road, I still get excited. They still make my heart beat. I just think that I've learned to take care of them better over the years, but as far as joy, like I said, that little basket-rack eight… a 180-inch deer wouldn't bring me any more joy than that deer did at the time."
Now in his 60s, Foxworthy has a unique perspective on the value of hunting. "I'm an old dude now," he said, "but I really think we're all chasing that 10-year-old boy. That 10-year-old boy had fun. Crap, I remember leaving the house – one of you had a .22 and one of you had a 20 gauge – and [you'd] just go walking through the woods. Had no idea what we were doing. Had no idea what we were doing deer hunting, but we had a blast. I'd go weekend after weekend without seeing a deer, and by Tuesday, I'm like, 'I'm going next weekend. I'm going!' But you also learned about yourself. I read an article that was saying, 'What we learned through all that was, we learned self-sufficiency. We learned how to cross a creek. We learned how to build a deer stand. We learned to work together to do things like that. We learned not to panic if we got lost. How many times did you get lost? All the time. Because there was no GPS. And eventually you'd come out on a road and you'd go, 'Oh, I think I know where we are.' But it was good for us. We learned about our capabilities and about the benefit of friendships when we were out doing those things."
The Michael Waddell Podcast is produced by Outdoor Sportsman Group and is available widely on Outdoor Channel YouTube, MyOutdoorTV, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and OutdoorChannel.com, to name a few.
"It's funny though, with hunting," Foxworthy continued, "I went through years and years – it's your job [pointing to Waddell] – with a cameraman with me, but that 10-year-old-boy, the thing that I liked, was I could go up there and whether you were sitting on the ground or up in a tree, you could unload your head and you could think, and then you'd go, 'All right, I'm leaving that behind but I need to take that with me," and I just got to the point – it dawned on me seven or eight years ago – I was like, 'Man, I miss that,' and so now I don't want a cameraman. I just want to sit on the trail, and I don't even want to pull my phone out. I just want to sit there and empty my head, because we don't get that anymore. The devil's got to fill up every moment of your being entertained, and I'm like, 'No, there's a reason that God said be still…Be still and know that I am God. …When you get somewhere you're like, 'My phone doesn't work' – good!"
In regard to his own happy up bringing and redneck roots that have spawned so much rich comedy, Foxworthy explained: "I used to tell people… like if I'd do an interview in New York, and they'd go, 'How many people get offended by this?' I said 'Nobody. I said, because what you don't understand is that if you gave rednecks a billion dollars, they'd still be rednecks. They're just going to buy bigger trucks – put catfish in the pool – they don't want to be anything else. They like their life. More guns, bigger trucks, four-wheelers, you name it. But they're happy. And we were happy."
"I've been blessed to share many hunting camps with Jeff Foxworthy, and to call him a friend," said Waddell. "Not only is he one of the funniest people alive, he's also a humble, caring man who is quick to share his faith and to help others, and I'm so very thankful to have had him in my court all these years. I cannot thank him enough for stopping by to spend time with me and share some laughs. For more classic Foxworthy, be sure to check out his new stand-up special, The Jokes On Me, streaming now on Fox Nation."
The Michael Waddell Podcast releases new episodes every other week.
Waddell's story began in the backwoods of Booger Bottom, Georgia, where he grew up surrounded by nature, family, and a love for the outdoors. A self-proclaimed "rowdy redneck," his passion for hunting and storytelling led him to win a Realtree turkey-calling contest, which launched his career in the outdoor industry. From guiding and filming hunts to creating hit shows like Realtree Road Trips and Bone Collector, Waddell has become a beloved figure in the outdoor world.
About Outdoor Sportsman Group: Outdoor Sportsman Group is comprised of the world's foremost media and entertainment brands for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It includes four leading multichannel networks: Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and GAME & FISH TV, a dynamic new Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) channel dedicated to sports enthusiasts and outdoor lovers. Additionally, Outdoor Sportsman Group operates Sportsman Channel (Canada) and MOTV, the world's leading subscription streaming platform created for outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts. The Group also consists of numerous established publishing assets, including 14 outdoor magazines such as Guns & Ammo, Game & Fish, Petersen's HUNTING, and In-Fisherman, along with 20 top websites. Outdoor Sportsman Group also includes television production operations through Winnercomm. For more information, visit www.outdoorsg.com.