John Crist
John Crist (born March 20, 1984 in Lilburn, Georgia) is a Christian comedian.
Crist's comedy often focuses on Christian subculture. He occasionally uses his comedy to critique problems he sees in the Christian church. Crist has opened for Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Chappelle, Seth Meyers, Tim Hawkins, and Anjelah Johnson. He is also known for his work creating comedy sketch videos for Buzzfeed. In November 2019, allegations of sexual misconduct led to John Crist cancelling a comedy tour, and a planned Netflix series featuring Crist was put "on hold.
He has seven siblings. His father was a pastor and, as a child, Crist was deeply entrenched in all aspects of Christian culture. His first job was at a Chick-fil-A restaurant but he was fired for using his hand to stir the lemonade.
Crist attended Samford University, graduating in 2006 with a degree in journalism. 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. In 2009, Crist made his first national comedy debut with an appearance on Louie Anderson's Las Vegas Comedy Show Larger Than Life.
Crist first performance was in 2009 at an open mic night at a Chili's restaurant. In 2012, Crist won The Denver Improv’s Got Laughs Competition, The Loonees Comedy Competition, and also appeared as a finalist on Comedy Central's Up Next Comedy Competition. Crist also performed for U.S. troops who were stationed in the Middle East as part of a comedy tour.
In 2014, Crist appeared on Louie Anderson's episode of Gotham Comedy Live, which aired on AXS TV. 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." Later that year, in an effort to grow his career, Crist moved to Los Angeles.
In late 2015, Crist released his first comedy special on DVD, I Got Questions. 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. Crist gained increased success after the video went viral. The video has over two million views on YouTube. In addition to Chewning, Crist frequently collaborates with fellow Christian comedian and musician Trey Kennedy.
In fall 2017, Crist sold out his first headlining tour, Captive Thoughts, which spanned 20 East Coast cities. In summer 2018, Crist moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and signed with United Talent Agency. Later that year, he participated in Winter Jam, an annual Christian music tour and launched his second headlining tour, Human Being Tour, which included 55 U.S. cities.
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. The song was number two on the iTunes Christian charts.
Personal life
Crist was in a brief relationship with country singer Lauren Alaina from May to September 2019.
According to several sources, over the last decade Crist has used his reputation and platform to harass and/or exploit young women. 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 7th, Crist's Netflix special I Ain't Praying for That has been put on hold. Crist was also at work on his first book, Untag Me: The Subtle Art of Appearing Better Than You Really Are. which was set to be published by WaterBrook Press, an imprint of Random House, in 2020. It has also been put on hold.