John Crist: From Rock Bottom to Recovery | Sadie Robertson Huff

Summary

WHOA That's Good Podcast

Episode: John Crist: From Rock Bottom to Recovery
Host: Sadie Robertson Huff
Release Date: March 12, 2025

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Introduction

In this deeply engaging episode of the "WHOA That's Good" podcast, host Sadie Robertson Huff welcomes renowned comedian John Crist to discuss his remarkable journey from personal struggles to professional success. The conversation delves into John's upbringing, his faith-driven comedy career, and his path to recovery, offering listeners a blend of humor, vulnerability, and inspiration.

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Early Connections and Shared Background

Sadie and John reminisce about their initial connections, highlighting how John reached out to Sadie back in 2018 with a desire to be on her podcast. Despite the delayed response due to the podcast's early stages, Sadie expresses gratitude for John's persistence and the opportunity to reconnect years later.

• Sadie Robertson [02:20]: "In 2018 you DM me and said I Need to be on your podcast. And I never responded."
• John Crist [03:14]: "You've been doing this seven years? Yes. Isn't that crazy?"

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Balancing Comedy and Faith

A significant portion of the discussion centers around John Crist's approach to comedy, particularly as a Christian comedian. John emphasizes the importance of authenticity over catering to audience expectations or algorithms. He shares his experiences with agents who suggested he remove Christian elements from his act, but he chose to stay true to his roots.

• John Crist [05:08]: "You have to be like, dude, I think this is hilarious. And whatever y'all do with it or whatever the Internet does with it, that's so true."
• Sadie Robertson [05:19]: "Live original. When you are just living originally to who you were created to be and confident in that."

John argues that while commercial pressures often push artists to mimic successful figures, genuine expression resonates more profoundly with audiences.

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Personal Struggles and Journey to Recovery

John opens up about his challenging upbringing in a sheltered Christian environment, working exclusively at Chick-fil-A, and the limited exposure to the outside world. He recounts being fired from his first job for a simple mistake, an experience that added to his feelings of inadequacy.

• John Crist [07:53]: "I was sweeping the cigarette butts in the parking lot... and they weren't on the schedule any more."

The conversation takes a poignant turn as John discusses his battle with addiction and depression, including time spent in rehab where he contemplated suicide. He credits his recovery to finding hope through faith and the support of his community.

• John Crist [35:36]: "I just changed my Facebook profile... I didn't even consider that that would go on the timeline."
• Sadie Robertson [39:10]: "You lose hope."

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Using the Platform to Impact Others

Both Sadie and John emphasize the profound impact that sharing personal stories can have on listeners. John speaks about how his comedy provides relief and connection for those battling their own struggles, using humor as a bridge to deeper conversations about faith and mental health.

• John Crist [23:16]: "People are tired of listening to these messages, but I go, listen... you have to keep hoping for a better tomorrow."
• Sadie Robertson [50:36]: "Because there are sometimes we have conversations on the podcast that don't perform as well because maybe people don't know the person... but at the end of the day, that's not what I'm going for."

Sadie echoes this sentiment, highlighting the importance of meaningful conversations over purely entertaining content.

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Authenticity and Vulnerability

The heart of the episode lies in the authentic and vulnerable exchange between Sadie and John. They discuss moments when their messages didn't resonate as intended and how those experiences ultimately strengthened their resolve to remain true to their values.

• Sadie Robertson [34:02]: "I have to think about that."
• John Crist [34:08]: "Everyone on this podcast knows the story of my first speaking engagement, which was actually horrible."

John shares his first joke and how it fell flat with the audience, a moment that, while embarrassing, became a catalyst for his growth as a comedian.

• John Crist [69:04]: "My first joke ever... 'I'm not white. I'm more like wheat.'"

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with both hosts reflecting on their journeys and the importance of maintaining hope and authenticity. Sadie commends John for his honesty and the positive influence he's had on listeners, while John expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share his story and encourage others facing similar challenges.

• Sadie Robertson [65:04]: "I think it's humble to say I didn't do it... but I think it's still good to encourage others."
• John Crist [65:52]: "It's an honor to be out here... I don't have the courage at the time to be like, hey, whoever needed it? This is what I'm struggling with."

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Notable Quotes

• John Crist [05:08]: "You have to be like, dude, I think this is hilarious. And whatever y'all do with it or whatever the Internet does with it, that's so true."
• Sadie Robertson [05:19]: "Live original. When you are just living originally to who you were created to be and confident in that."
• John Crist [35:36]: "I just changed my Facebook profile... I didn't even consider that that would go on the timeline."
• Sadie Robertson [39:10]: "You lose hope."
• John Crist [69:04]: "My first joke ever... 'I'm not white. I'm more like wheat.'"

These quotes encapsulate the essence of their conversation—embracing authenticity, overcoming personal demons, and using one's platform to inspire and uplift others.

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Final Thoughts

John Crist's candid sharing on the "WHOA That's Good" podcast offers a powerful narrative of resilience and the transformative power of faith and humor. Sadie Robertson Huff skillfully navigates the conversation, allowing John to reveal his vulnerabilities while highlighting the broader message of hope and originality. This episode serves as a testament to the impact that genuine storytelling can have, encouraging listeners to embrace their true selves and find strength in their struggles.

Transcript

[John Crist]

Foreign.

[Sadie Robertson]

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[John Crist]

I can say to my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, hey, find a keto friendly.

[Sadie Robertson]

Restaurant nearby and text it to Beth and Steve.

[John Crist]

And it does without me lifting a finger so I can get in more.

[Sadie Robertson]

Squats anywhere I can.

[John Crist]

1, 2, 3. Will that be cash or credit? Credit. 4 Galaxy S25 Ultra the AI companion that does the heavy lifting. So you can do you get [e-mail] compatible with select apps. Requires Google Gemini account. Results may vary based on input. Check responses for accuracy.

[Sadie Robertson]

What's up fam? Happy woad. That's good. Wednesday. I hope you're having a great week but per usual it actually is about to get so much better because we have a very special guest in the house today with a live Ello team audience because they were so excited to have John Chris in the house. So welcome to Woah. That's good.

[John Crist]

What's up? It's my first time.

[Sadie Robertson]

I know. And actually this is funny because I went and looked at our DMs which is kind of funny. And in 2018 you DM me and said I Need to be on your podcast. And I never responded.

[John Crist]

Well, all right. That's not what I remember. That's when the podcast started.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is actually the year it started. So you saw it come out, which I'm so thankful and honored that you wanted to be on in the early days.

[John Crist]

That was an early adopter.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

You were like, we love Sadie. I was like, I was.

[Sadie Robertson]

You were there. And I'm sorry I left you on.

[John Crist]

Red, but there's a lot going on back in 2018.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yes. But it's 2025 now. Much better time to be on the podcast. It's grown so much.

[John Crist]

You've been doing this seven years?

[Sadie Robertson]

Yes. Isn't that crazy?

[John Crist]

Wow.

[Sadie Robertson]

My first episode came out actually the same week Christian and I went on a first date. So as our marriage has grown, the podcast has grown. And this is much better, too, because we have way more to talk about in your life.

[John Crist]

Well, the first. I think that I've been. This is my second time to West Monroe.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yep. I missed the first time.

[John Crist]

Yeah. She had a photo shoot. Did I say that or. No.

[Sadie Robertson]

What I was doing.

[John Crist]

I was like, I'll come down and be on the podcast. And then she goes, sadie has a photo shoot, too. All right. I'll just wait in the. I'll just wait in the airport, I guess.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is so, so annoying of me. Anyway, well, I'm glad that this worked out and you came back, gave us a second chance.

[John Crist]

I don't know what I was joking about in 2018, but I. But your parents came to one of my shows.

[Sadie Robertson]

Did they?

[John Crist]

Yeah, I was here. I had a show in West Monroe.

[Sadie Robertson]

How did I miss all of these?

[John Crist]

They were there. I remember because that's the first time I ever. I saw, like, a. I feel like I saw, like, a celebrity.

[Sadie Robertson]

My dad. That's awesome.

[John Crist]

I was like, dude, can I get a photo? He's like, it's your show. I go, oh, yeah, That's a good point.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's true.

[John Crist]

They came back and said hi. Cause I saw. I'd seen them somewhere.

[Sadie Robertson]

Them going to your show. I was at a church in town.

[John Crist]

Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's awesome.

[John Crist]

You were just like, I'm busy.

[Sadie Robertson]

Or I was doing a photo shoot, probably. No, I'm just kidding. I hope I wasn't. Gosh, I don't remember.

[John Crist]

That was a long time ago. Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is funny. Well, okay. We have to ask you the same question. I ask everyone who comes on the Woe. That's good podcast. I hope you're ready for this. You did know what kind of ads I have, so you better know this question, but what is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

[John Crist]

Best piece of advice I've ever been given. Oh, man. I think I would say, especially in comedy, is that there's a lot of different. There's a lot of different types of comedians, you know, and sometimes my agents in LA have been like, hey, you should cut out all the Christian stuff. Like, people not gonna. Everybody doesn't know what that is. And I think the longer you go. I think it was in every comic to be themselves, because you go, well, this is how I grew up. The closer you can be to yourself. And when we make jokes, you'd be like, I think if I get into the energy of, like, is this gonna go on the algorithm or is this gonna be funny to them? I'm done.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's so true.

[John Crist]

You have to be like, dude, I think this is hilarious. And whatever y'all do with it or whatever the Internet does with it, that's so true.

[Sadie Robertson]

When you try to feed the algorithm, it never goes well or never goes right, and you're constantly frustrated and striving. But it's so true. That's our whole message. Live, original. When you are just living originally to who you were created to be and confident in that. And it's so interesting because agents say those things. Manager says, but they're all trying to create this one thing that worked for one person and it doesn't work for everybody.

[John Crist]

And so, no, we already, like any. Like, let's say Luke Combs comes along, right. In country music. And then all the other record labels are like, we gotta have our Luke Combs or our Morgan Wallen. They're like, yeah, but we already have them.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

And now you see all these guys kind of come up that are. You can see it's the same in comedy.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yep.

[John Crist]

Like, oh, they're trying to be. But no one was ever good at anything. Trying to be. You can be inspired by other people, of course, but you're like, I don't know what podcast this one's trying to.

[Sadie Robertson]

Be like, it's very true.

[John Crist]

Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's the only one we just had, I think it's okay to say, but the network, you know, A and E, we were on TV and then we got off for a while. Now we're coming back, and they were actually saying that since we've been off, they've tried to replace it in other ways. And, like, they're like, it's so interesting because we thought, oh, this is gonna work because it has, like, the Southern aspect or the square. Cause it has the crazy guys blowing up stuff. But, like, it doesn't work, you know, because it's a copy of something, you know?

[John Crist]

Yeah. And you can see when you. When you watch those early episodes of Duck Dynasty, you're like, he's dead serious. Like, Uncle Si. You're like, that. He's not, like, playing a character, which.

[Sadie Robertson]

To us, even, it's like, don't compare what this is gonna be to what Duck Dynasty. We can't recreate it.

[John Crist]

It's a different show.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's a new show. But it is who we are. And thank God we stuck to who we are, because now we're not having to, like, try to create something. It's kind of an overflow. But anyways, it's exciting. Okay, so tell me, like, growing up just. You joke about growing up a lot. You joke about kind of how you grew up, but tell everybody, how did you grow up?

[John Crist]

All right. I grew up. My. So my dad was a preacher. A pastor, like, would be comparable to, like, a Pentecostal church. So we were always going to, like, you know, youth camp and all those kind of things that everybody else was doing in, like, the 90s as a Christian. And, like, a lot of my. I worked at Chick Fil A. That was my first job. My parents wouldn't let me work anywhere else. They thought it was too many heathens at McDonald's. And. Are they a podcast sponsor? I probably shouldn't say that.

[Sadie Robertson]

No, you're good. This is a safe place.

[John Crist]

No, they say you can work at Chick Fil? A only. And then we were all homeschooled because my parents were like, we don't want to learn about public schools to teach about evolution and all these kind of things. So we were very, very sheltered. So we didn't. I don't know. We just didn't know anything. Like, we just had a very. Like, we would drive by all the other churches. I don't think by just by. They were like, that's not. We're not Baptist Presbyterian. We don't go over there. I even remember my brother trying to go to another youth group, and my parents were like, no.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

Did your parents let you go wherever?

[Sadie Robertson]

So we were a Church of Christ. And I've heard some of your jokes on.

[John Crist]

No, you can't say that.

[Sadie Robertson]

No, it's hilarious, actually, in your YouTube special. So funny when you're like, how many of you started as a 1 denomination and switch? It's like, the whole room, which is so interesting. So interesting. But then when the woman is okay, I say this.

[John Crist]

Hey, this is a advertisement for my special. And this. You're going to butcher this so badly. Go do my joke, Sadie. I can't wait to do.

[Sadie Robertson]

I'm going to. Because it felt personal. Okay. Because this is so my life. So this woman raises her hand. I'm going to do it. And she's like, I started out Church of Christ. Christ. And you said, oh, how does it feel to be so close to the stage as a woman? You said that.

[John Crist]

Close.

[Sadie Robertson]

You got close with a mic. So close to a microphone. As a woman. And that was pretty funny, because people, whenever I say a group Church of Christ, they're like, really? Because obviously, like, I'm preaching places, and that's not cool. But it is funny. But a lot of things have changed, and even the Church of Christ Church I went to is now not a nominational, so. It actually is. Yeah.

[John Crist]

The punchline would be the preposition. You put the preposition at the end. The preposition should be good at the beginning. As a woman, what's it like to be this close to the stage?

[Sadie Robertson]

There we go.

[John Crist]

That would be it. But you did.

[Sadie Robertson]

You got the gist of it. Yeah, it made me laugh because that is so real and because people do ask me that, okay, well, how'd you get to where you're at now? Do that. So, yeah, growing up. But my parents were not, like, they actually were. They were not super straight, I would say. I think the area we grew up in is a sheltered area. I went to a Christian school, went church on Wednesday and Sunday. So I'm sure sheltered in that sense in this town. Yeah, yeah. But also, my parents were very big on, like, traveling, seeing the world, that kind of thing.

[John Crist]

You went over to Bossier City and you went everywhere.

[Sadie Robertson]

I did Shreveport days. You know, kids get in the car. I feel like in some sense we were sheltered. But when I hear your stories, I. I can relate to a lot. But also, a lot of it is extremely sheltered. And also, you never mentioned about the Chick Fil A, because I have heard that job ended abruptly.

[John Crist]

Really? Okay.

[Sadie Robertson]

My team studied.

[John Crist]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. So I worked. I'm sure you've read the story. Okay. So I. I was, like, 16 or something, maybe 15. And I would work. Like, sometimes people are going to relate to this if they got, like, an hourly job where, like, I was, like, sweeping the cigarette butts in the parking lot or, like, I think I'm low on the. On the Priority list of employees.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's okay.

[John Crist]

So I was making. Okay, yeah, you encourage me. So I was like. It was, like, Saturday afternoon. The place was packed. They were like, chris, go get the lemonade or something. They make the lemonade in these big. I mean, they got to be 5 gallons or something like that. And they have just as pure as Chick Fil A is. They got three ingredients. Lemon juice, water, sugar. Nothing else in there from the Lord. So I get it all, and I'm mixing it all up together. And they're like. People are, like, at the counter with refills. Like, we're waiting on the. They're making it. I don't know what they're. And they're like, chris, where's the lemonade? And I couldn't find the, like, the big, like, stir thing, so I just, like, pulled up my. I pulled up my arm and just stirred it with my hand.

[Sadie Robertson]

No.

[John Crist]

Super. And then I like. And then the. The manager came around the corner, and I was mid stirring that and that. I don't say they fired me. I just kind of wasn't on the schedule any.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, that's tough.

[John Crist]

Yeah. Is that what that means?

[Sadie Robertson]

I think. Yeah. That's the way Chick Fil A lets you go.

[John Crist]

Yeah, they go, well, we've shifted our priorities.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is hilarious.

[John Crist]

That was a tough look for me.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's okay, though. You know, everyone has to start somewhere, and that was probably a learning time of your life.

[John Crist]

Yeah, I guess you can't do that. Well, now everybody's so sensitive about those things.

[Sadie Robertson]

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[John Crist]

Yeah, but I think I was like very shy. I never, I would never like speak in front of every, anyone ever.

[Sadie Robertson]

But would you like joke with your siblings?

[John Crist]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, anytime, like mom and dad were doing something wild, everybody came to me to like, John, we gotta.

[Sadie Robertson]

What are you gonna say about it?

[John Crist]

Yeah, what do we. Yeah. I would never be like, everybody gather around. But I was always. And like we went to Christian school for high school, so I'd always be in the back of the room kind of knocking on everything. And like, it's same with church because my dad was a pastor. So we'd always be like, kind of making fun of fun of people in the church or like funny stuff that people, I mean we would. People would get prayed for and they would like fall over and why are you laughing about that?

[Sadie Robertson]

Just laughing that you're about to make a joke about it.

[John Crist]

Well, it's kind of. I was about to tell my testimony. But that's fine. You can laugh. No, it's fine. Okay. I just thought I was going to come encourage some people, but no. And then they would like put a, like a blanket over them. And if some people are listening, they're like, I remember this era of Christianity and we always thought that like, we always thought that was so funny in, in like, I mean, it was obviously just from the outside of different perspective of it. You're like, if, if I never seen this before, I'd be like, this is actually.

[Sadie Robertson]

I have a true testimony to this. So I grew up Church of Christ. I didn't see that at Chur.

[John Crist]

The Holy Spirit really wasn't with y'all.

[Sadie Robertson]

I didn't see that. Okay. So then I went to a revival night at a church with a friend. Now we're talking more Pentecostal.

[John Crist]

Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

And I was just standing there worshiping, and person beside me, like, fell out on the floor. And then someone just brought a blanket, like a towel, and put it over their head. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, I thought they passed out. And then I was like, are we just gonna. Like, are we just gonna keep going? And.

[John Crist]

Yeah, what do we do?

[Sadie Robertson]

So I knew the pastors. They were friends. And I turned around, I was like, like, are we okay? You know? And. And then that's whenever I understood, and they told me what that meant. So it is funny. Like, why. I love how you joke about church stuff because the people who are there relate, and it's so funny, and it's so true, and we need to be able to laugh at ourselves. But then also, the people who don't relate, like me in that moment. I can go back to that moment and be like, oh, that was, like, so funny. I literally thought the person passed out. And then I. And I.

[John Crist]

But in a. It's very serious. It's obviously, like, so you don't. So there's like a. Like, you're not. You're not going to deny the Holy Spirit working in someone's life. Absolutely. Yeah. But then you go. Also, at the same time, you're laying under the sheet, you, like, come out of it, or, like, the Holy Spirit's moved on. Or then you, like, do you pull it down or. Like, that's what's funny to me about.

[Sadie Robertson]

Okay.

[John Crist]

The faith practice.

[Sadie Robertson]

This is what I want to know, like, Because I have been interested in this because you make fun of you. Not. It's like, not. I guess you do make fun of it, but I was trying to say that in a nicer way. You laugh at. You make fun, poke holes at all stuff. And it's very funny. But, like, where is the line? Like, where. As you're writing stuff, do you ever go, oh, that's too far. Or like. Like, where. Where's the line?

[John Crist]

Okay, well, all right. So for me. And everybody's different because there's a lot of. Like. I remember Mark Lowry, who's an older comic that was doing a lot of churches, like, in the 90s. He saw my special. He goes, how are you getting away with this? He goes, I Got kicked out of a church for saying breaking wind, which is like, what? But you know what I'm saying. So he was like, that was. And they go, that's disrespectful.

[Sadie Robertson]

Right?

[John Crist]

So. And then I see. Sometimes, I'll be honest, I see some of those, like, Christian meme accounts, and I'm like, I think that's too far. You know, but people also say I'm too far. So I think my heart, if I ever was, like, making, like. I've made jokes about you before.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, I've seen them.

[John Crist]

But. Okay, all right. Well, now we're here to talk about it. But I go. And at the time, I didn't know you, but I go, if I was her, I would think this was funny. I make jokes about my girlfriend, that she thinks they're funny. I make jokes about my parents. And I think my rule early on was like, let's say I'm making a joke about Joel Osteen. And then we're in Houston, and some. My manager comes in. He's like, hey, Joel Osteen's at the show tonight. If you would take that joke out. That's not a joke. You should be saying, you know, like, I would do it in front of that person. I try to. And then, like, there was that. We had a joke about how somebody in my neighborhood had a. I don't know how this is going to go on this podcast, but somebody had a nativity scene and a Harris walls, like a sign in their front yard. And I was making jokes about that scenario, and I. And I. About the nativity scene, and I would kind of draw the line about making a joke about Mary or Jesus because I. There's, like, some. Sometimes you see people, like, dress up as Jesus, and I don't.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah. Too far.

[John Crist]

But to me, yeah, I think that's too. Or, like, it just seems like a line that I'm not quite sure I want to do for likes.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, no, that's good.

[John Crist]

People have come at me and said my jokes are too far. So I don't. I don't think I'd be like the police of the Internet. I just go, that. That's not at all.

[Sadie Robertson]

You're walking in, like, your conviction of where you think, but also, like, it has to do, like, why you do what you do. So, like, I mean, it's a big question, but, like, what is your why in comedy when it comes to, like, Christian.

[John Crist]

Yeah, well, that is a big question. I think my. My agent, who's, like, a Jewish guy that Lives in la. He comes out to the shows and we're doing cities like York, Pennsylvania and like Shippensburg. And he goes, man, these. I like to be in the lobby of your shows after the show because people are walking out of there with such, like, I don't know, like, levity or like, hope or like, it's so, like, the atmosphere is so, like, uplifting. And it's like, dude, look, like, look at the. Life is horrific. If you like the news, like, just like the, the state of things is just, like, terrible. And if you. Can I make a joke on my show? It's like, a lot of you guys came in here tonight with a lot of issues, a lot of struggles and a lot of problems. And you're going to leave here tonight with the same problems, but you're going to feel better, you're going to feel lighter. And I think that's. It's so heavy. We don't do shows in churches anymore, but we just do whatever the biggest theater in the city is. And people. It's still the same people, Believers. And there are these heavy topics about a lot of jokes now about my parents, the aging, and then my nieces and nephews. And these are all. I kind of say the show is like, I'm joking, but I'm dead serious. I'm dead serious. And I believe in what we're doing out here. A lot of people have said we went. We did a. A military tour in the. In Kuwait, in the Middle East.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

And I remember being so expensive to fly us over there and do comedy. And. And I go, what, What. What are we doing over here? Kind of. And the. The what. What's the highest ranking military official? I'm trying to think of a term like a sergeant or like a corporal.

[Sadie Robertson]

I'm not sure if I'd be the one General.

[John Crist]

Yeah, see? Yeah. He goes, we bring the comedians over here because when the suicide rate goes down.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

He said that to me. Dead serious. Meaning, like, well, and they bring entertainment and music and stuff over here, but, like, think about how sad those. Or, no, not even sad. How real those situations are. And then you go, well, we're just going to forget about it for an hour. We're going to laugh. And I was like, wow. And every time people go, yeah, people are sad, I feel like they go to art. And look what your podcast has done for people that go, man, we love. When's the pod come out? Wednesdays.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wednesdays.

[John Crist]

Wednesday they go, we love Wednesdays. Our favorite days. And I'm impersonating. A white woman shouldn't have done that. But we love Sadie on Wednesdays. What time does it come out?

[Sadie Robertson]

I think it comes out at midnight, right? Yeah, we drop it second Wednesday starts and then 1 o'clock on YouTube.

[John Crist]

I feel like if you had the ability to make people feel like they're a part of a community, to encourage them, to uplift them, even if you could help shoulder the burden of somebody else that's going through all kind of things, and they could, and I'm sure you get emails.

[Sadie Robertson]

Y.

[John Crist]

Of course, all the time, then who are you not to do that?

[Sadie Robertson]

I feel like, of course. No, that's so good. That's so true. When people tell me, like, they listen to my podcast on the way to school so they'll be confident to like, be like a believer in who they are and like that. That's like the coolest thing ever, that they're leaning on these words and this encouragement to get through their days. Like, oh, absolutely. Means the world.

[John Crist]

Somebody said to me one time that they. They're like. Their parents are like in kind of like a domestic situation. They always yell and fight each other whenever that happens. I go up to my room and put on my headphones and listen to your comedy and you're like, wow. Yeah, we're just joking. I think we like, you're. But we're not. I don't know how else to say that. Does that make sense?

[Sadie Robertson]

It's serious. Well, I think too, like, even the joke about, you know, who's denominations. No, I'm not doing it again. I'm not doing it again. But like, okay, everyone's dying laughing. But the truth is, everyone who switched denominations was really hard. Very hard. That was a hard thing that they went through. There was hurt there, there was pain there. There was a lot of things that they realized need to change in their life. And it was probably really hard to make that jump. But yet it's so nice to just be able to laugh and be able to bring joy to something that is really hard. And so that's the gift you're giving people. And I think when people are who they are created to be and they're operating in the gifting God gave them, it is a gift to the world. It's a gift to everyone. And so it's so special when you, you know, you mentioned you were funny as a kid and your siblings were funny. Does someone ever call it out and you, like, you need to be a comedian. You're gonna be a comedian. Or how did you actually start pursuing that as your career.

[John Crist]

I think there was like some times in college that I would be like on a stage somehow. Like I was doing like these at my fraternity and stuff like that. You're kind of the leader of the whatever event. And I remember it being funny. I think I was in. I started my career in. In the news.

[Sadie Robertson]

No way. Yeah. I started my career in the news anchor.

[John Crist]

She's a news anchor now. Yeah. So because of me. Really, I've helped. Nah, I'm just kidding. She would kill me if she asked it. I was in the news for like a semester. She's actually good at it. I think I was. I remember like the teleprompter. You just have to read exactly what they said and I'll be so frustrated with that. I was like, just put the bullet points up there and I'll just, you know, riff it. And they were like, that's not how the news works. And somebody. John Mark Green, I think it was his name was. He goes, you should try. You should be a stand up comedian.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

And I. What's wild about that story is I think I wish I started when I was 25 and it took me. Somebody told me that when I was 20 and it took me five years to get up the courage to do it. It.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

To do it for the first time. So I remember that day I just started. I had like a. I would just write things down that I thought were funny.

[Sadie Robertson]

Did you watch other comedians?

[John Crist]

I had. I watched watch like, I mean, Tim Hawkins, who's a guy I toured with for a long time. Actually, we came up listening to him. Kings of Comedy, Cat Williams, all those comics back in that. In like 2008, 2009.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's cool.

[John Crist]

But what's wild about that is only I could have done it at any night. Like there's open mic night every night. And I was. It took five years to like get up the courage to do it.

[Sadie Robertson]

Friends, consider this my personal invitation to you to join the scripture translation movement and the Illuminations 12 verse challenge. Over 3,000 people groups, or about a billion people don't have God's word in their own heart language. And yes, I said billion with a B. And there's more than 1,000 people groups without any scripture at all. So just take a second to let that sink in. Illuminations actually started the 12 verse challenge to bring the Bible to all of those people. Illuminations is an alliance of 11 Bible translation agencies who work together to end Bible poverty. And they think it could actually be Done in our generation. What once we thought was going to take a century is now projected to be completed around the year 2033. Y'all, this is a game changer for our whole world. But here's how you can be a part of bringing the Word to people who otherwise wouldn't have it. For just $35 a month, you'll help fund 12 verses of scripture a year for people who have little or no access. And you, my amazing. Well, that's good, family, have already funded the equivalent of all four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for a people group that didn't have it. So I am so proud of that. Now let's see if we can keep the good work up and share the Word with other people groups. Y'all. We're making such progress. Let's keep it going. The first time I heard about Bible translation, I didn't really understand just the depth of that until I actually went on a trip in. In Guatemala and got to see a people group who for the first time got their Bible in their language. It totally changed the way I saw this, y'all. These are real people all over the world who are waiting on people like us to help give towards this and make it happen. So how do you join the movement? Well, pull out your phone, click the link in the show notes, or go to 12vc.com sister and commit to the 12 verse challenge again. That's the number one, the number two VC.com sister. We are in this until everyone everywhere has access to God's word. Visit the number12vc.com sister to join the movement today. By the time five years went by, though, had you been like, you've been writing stuff down?

[John Crist]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

For what that would look like.

[John Crist]

You want to hear my first joke?

[Sadie Robertson]

I do want to hear it.

[John Crist]

It's bad. But I was so. I was like, so confident. I was like, this is gonna kill. And you have to be, like, kind of out of your mind a little bit to do it, I think. Could you do it?

[Sadie Robertson]

Me?

[John Crist]

No.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, my gosh, no. But my dad, I think he always tell him, you could be a standout comedian.

[John Crist]

Yeah, just do five minutes. I've been with events with him.

[Sadie Robertson]

He's funny. He's funny and he has that shock effect that you're like, how did you get away with saying that? But it was funny when you said.

[John Crist]

You know, how I think he's cheating a little bit, how he's always been. People are interviewing him on stage. He doesn't just come out. He's always got. I was like, dude, no, but he's sneaking around the rules. He does. Maybe I've just been with him when he's.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, you gotta see him when it's just him. It is. Really. Every time he does a Q and A, they ask him one question. He talks for 30 minutes. So the Q A is pretty much just like softball.

[John Crist]

All right.

[Sadie Robertson]

But I'll say, I don't think I could do that.

[John Crist]

But people think you're funny. Funny.

[Sadie Robertson]

I think I'm a funny person. But like, there's. Okay, here's my audience. I mean, I'm a funny person, but I'm no stand up comedian.

[John Crist]

Also funny stories about your kids.

[Sadie Robertson]

I don't say shocking things. Like, you know, I don't really, like, teeter the line of, like, that was kind of inappropriate. That's not really me, which I feel like comedians, that's their thing. And it is funny, like, not to.

[John Crist]

Try to go up to the line.

[Sadie Robertson]

At least and not like, yeah, you don't do that in like a, A bad way. But it's like, oh, I can't believe they just said that. That's my dad. Like, can't believe you just said that. But it was so funny. I would not do that personally.

[John Crist]

Oh, you did. The disposition you have is not. My girlfriend's the same. She goes like, we're always out somewhere. And I'm just saying wild stuff.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah. I'm like, I can't believe just to.

[John Crist]

Come behind me and like sweep everything up. He didn't mean that. He's a comedian. He's just joking.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, yeah. Some people just say like, oh, it's just with your dad, I was like, oh, really? Okay. How dare you.

[John Crist]

I think he'd have to too. So, like, you know that, like, common, like, bless your heart. That's like a Christian. It's not even a joke because everybody says it now. So it's not even a joke because it's in the lexicon of like, what everybody knows. So, like, a joke has to be across the line a little bit.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

To be like, I can't believe you just said that. But as a believer or as a clean comic or whatever, there's also another, like, line. So you got to cross this one to be funny. But there's another one here that if you cross that one, you're kicked out. So. And both of these lines in every show and every night and it could be a matinee show versus a late show are moving well.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's interesting. You just fill the audience.

[John Crist]

You have to.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

And sometimes you do a show in, you know, Montgomery, Alabama, or versus Portland, a little different. I'll just leave that up to the interpretation of the listeners. But, yeah, you go, all right, well, that was. That worked last night. But not here.

[Sadie Robertson]

Not here.

[John Crist]

Yeah, but that's what we like about it. That's what makes us. We love it.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's fun. I do like to read the room, and I feel like sometimes I'm very aware of the room. That's why, like, yes, you can do a message, like, during COVID You know, you're doing a message over the screen. But it's so much better when you're in person because you're feeling the room, you're seeing who you're talking to. But again, you're not getting away from it, though. We have to hear your first. Your first joke.

[John Crist]

Oh, all right. I was going to ask you, is it ever gone. Is your speaking ever gone really bad for you? But I'll tell mine, and then you tell a story about when it was. Was. When. Did not go good.

[Sadie Robertson]

I have to think about that.

[John Crist]

Okay. That's the cockiest thing I've ever heard.

[Sadie Robertson]

No, no, no. I mean, like, I'm not.

[John Crist]

I'm going to have to think, when did it go bad? I'm have to think about that.

[Sadie Robertson]

Everyone on this podcast knows the story of my first speaking engagement, which was actually horrible.

[John Crist]

It was bad.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yes. I was supposed to speak for 25 minutes. I spoke for five. Literally had an anxiety attack.

[John Crist]

I'm not laughing at that. I'm not laughing at that.

[Sadie Robertson]

And they asked for their money back.

[John Crist]

They did.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is legit true. They asked for their money back. Back. It was very embarrassing. Thankfully, my mom did not tell me that until years later.

[John Crist]

How am I supposed to give back $250,000? I'm joking.

[Sadie Robertson]

Whatever. Trust me, that was not. That's not me. But you can cut that out if you want to. It's okay. Let it fly. But the truth is, I mean, comedy is obviously so different than, like, preaching a message, because I'm not, like, performing for people, so it's not necessarily, like, good or bad. I mean, yes, messages cann go great. Sometimes you're like, oh, man. That didn't really. That analogy hit as much as I thought it was going to. But also, like, again, like, I could preach the same message at a church that's more charismatic and say the exact same analogy. And everyone's like, that's so good. Yes. Clapping standing up and then preach it at A church that's a little bit more conservative, and it was still good and it still hit, but it's just a silent reaction, you know? But I'm not. When I'm preaching, I'm. I'm not in any way doing it for the feedback. It really is like, this is a message I'm giving. The word gave me these words. Hopefully they encourage you and people get to receive it however they want to. So comedy's different because you are, like.

[John Crist]

Putting on a show if comedy goes bad. We know.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

Like, if I. I mean, they probably have seen you speak. They would probably know, oh, this was a. They were more into this one than they were the other one.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

But if I had never seen you before, you were like, I didn't. And it was great.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

But, you know, I'll be like, that.

[Sadie Robertson]

Was not the best.

[John Crist]

Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

That was like, my words got jumbled or I didn't hit. Okay. Actually, speaking did go bad one time. Like, like, truly actually bad. Like, I was. I was giving an analogy, and midway through, I completely forgot what I was gonna say.

[John Crist]

Really.

[Sadie Robertson]

I literally. I was just like, what am I talking about? I've never had that happen before, ever. And it was a horrible place for it to happen to. It was like a basketball arena at a college. I was, like, so crowded. No, like, it was like. I mean, I wish it wasn't at a basketball or ran out of college. And I, like, just stood there, and I was like, what am I saying? But then it was actually so cool because I just stopped saying that. And I was like, God, what do you want me to say? And then I just, like, got super vulnerable and authentic, and then it was incredible. And I love that moment. So it's like. But if that was, like, a show I was performing at, I would be like, oh, that was not good. That was terrible. But God. God can redeem a little bit more through, like, an authentic message moment where I was like, I don't have to be funny. I can just be like. I don't even know what I'm saying.

[John Crist]

Just let the Holy Spirit work.

[Sadie Robertson]

You know what I mean? Let the Holy Spirit work.

[John Crist]

Well, it. Yeah, I guess we both, like, sometimes I say at the end of my shows, like, I. Sometimes if the crowd is, like, a little too rowdy or something, I wouldn't say it. But sometimes I go, listen. I don't know, because I've been. I just probably. November 6th, I just celebrated five years sober.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

Which is a miracle.

[Sadie Robertson]

Congrats.

[John Crist]

But I only say that because I say it in the show. I go, listen, because I make some jokes about drinking. And I go, for the record, I don't. I go, I had a good run. I put up some good stats back in my 30s, but I'm sober. And I just talk a little bit about it, just a little bit. And I go. Kind of like you. You go, I don't care if y'all think this is good or not. Not. This is what.

[Sadie Robertson]

This is what I'm supposed to say.

[John Crist]

I feel like I came to this sin if I was gone from Earth tomorrow, that I feel like I would want to say this. And I usually say something about, like, one of my cousins passed away committed suicide a year ago, and we all went to his funeral, and there was like 3,000 people there. And I go, isn't that wild that all these people, like, who told him that he was better off? Not on this planet. Where did. Who told him that? And then I go, there's a lot of people in here, just by nature of how many people are in here that feel like they're alone, they feel like they're worthless, that feel like if people knew the truth about me, they would not like me. If all of the gamut of things that are just like. And you sometimes go, well, who told you that? And it's. It's a. It's wild that there's 3,000 people in here celebrating this kid's life. And he didn't. He thought that these people weren't even. That he was alone. And it. I go, this is what I say. I go, if you don't believe in God, I go, I disagree with you, but I could have that conversation with you. If you don't believe in the devil, that's insane to me.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

If you don't think there's some kind of evil around here trying to take you down.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

That's. Miss me with that.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

And I. If you're like, hey, I'm Church of Christ, or I used to be Catholic, or I'm Pentagon, or that we can have that discussion. I don't think anybody on this planet would not agree that there's some kind of force.

[Sadie Robertson]

Totally.

[John Crist]

And it's obviously taking me down and taking everybody down. I go. On the other side, I go, go, yeah. I don't know where those voices come from.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

But everybody's got them.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love how, like, honest you are about what you went through and sharing that now. Do you feel like with coming out of what you went through so publicly and hitting such a rock Bottom. On a public stage, does that change the way that you use your platform? Like, did you used to have that serious moment at the end of your show or feel the need to?

[John Crist]

Probably not. I mean. I mean, I'll be honest. I probably was just saying it because I felt like that was, like, a thing. I didn't have any conviction about it, but I was just, like, saying it because I was like, wow, maybe I should just throw in some kind of message. But I feel like I was in rehab in 2019, and I was like, I wanted to end my life. And I don't want to say that, because sometimes people go through something, they're like, I was. I don't want to use it to be, like, for people to feel sorry for me or anything like that. But I was, like, true to your story on a dark, very, very dark place. And I was like, man, I don't know. I don't know how this path go. I think that's what suicide is, is the current situation is untenable, and there's no.

[Sadie Robertson]

You lose hope.

[John Crist]

Yeah. There's no way forward. So you go, well, this current situation is terrible. And then there's no future.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[John Crist]

It doesn't.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

Turn. So why. Why? What. What am I supposed to do? Well, and so I think I remember saying that I wasn't gonna. I was like, well, I'm not gonna kill myself because my mom would be sad. That's. I was like, my parents would be devastated if I did that. So maybe. I don't know what I was like, but I remember when I was in rehab, I was like, if I can get out of here, I can at least go to Chick Fil A and play golf. That's all I thought at the time there was. It was. Maybe I could just. I could do that. I didn't think I'd ever be a comedian ever again or anything. Not even close.

[Sadie Robertson]

Well, you just had something to hope for.

[John Crist]

Something.

[Sadie Robertson]

Something.

[John Crist]

And. Yes. And you go, well, maybe I can. And then I remember, you know, I was like, well, if I could stay sober, then I could. I could at least be alive. Or I could at least be. I don't know what I would do for work or anything. But then I was like. And then people were like, well, we'd love to hear what you have to say. And I was like, what? And then, like, then you go, oh, well, if I can. If I can do this and do this, and maybe I could see. But that's what everybody like, everybody that is on the way to work Right now or is on the way to school or wherever they're listening, they're like, if I work hard here, I can.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

Hope for the. Even if you're not a believer in Christ, the hope for the future, that there's a better tomorrow. Yeah, I'm going to meet a spouse, I'm going to get a raise, I'm going to be able to go on vacation. I'm going to. There's hope and a better tomorrow. But if you go, well, I have no. That's why I always see my girlfriend just covered a school shooting, which I feel like they happen all the time. And I go, well, the debate on the politics of it or whatever is that the kid has no hope. If you think that is the solution to and that's what it comes down to it at the end of the day is if you have no hope for, oh, I don't want to get. I don't want to go 100 miles on the interstate because I want to be alive.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

Because I want to be able to do comedy. Because I want to be able to spend time with my family, my girlfriend. If you don't have that outside of a relationship with Christ, I don't know what to tell you.

[Sadie Robertson]

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[John Crist]

Yeah, never.

[Sadie Robertson]

Like you can't go there yet. I mean, faith is the confidence, things we hope for, the assurance of things that you cannot see. So yeah, faith is going to come into that. But like at the beginning of that, even just a spark of hope, like to those people listening in the car right now, the reality is there's a lot of people listening to this right now who have lost hope in a lot of sense. And what is one thing you can look forward to? Maybe it's as small as Chick Fil a simple, simple as the sport you love to play, a person you love to see and like let hope grow on that. I mean I remember this is a, this is in a little bit of a different context, but I used to really struggle with anxiety, like major anxiety attacks. And those would be like some really dark places. And you know, it talks about like taking your thoughts captive. And like that is really hard to do to like take thoughts captive. And I had to literally replace thoughts with visual thoughts of good things. Like when it says like, think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. I made a like collage on my phone of like visual pictures of what I think about when I Think about things that are pure and honorable and all those things so that, like, it wasn't just something I was trying to say to myself, but it's something like, I visually began to replace and begin to see. And so, yeah, sometimes, like, you gotta fight those things in your brain, but sometimes it looks small at first. Sometimes simple.

[John Crist]

If you were in a. Like a prisoner of war or something like that, and they were like, hey, but they. They. They are coming. Yeah, they are coming. They don't know where you are, but they are looking for. They will find you. I'm. I'm guessing you can endure an unimaginable amount of pain and suffering because they're like, they are.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

But if. If. Imagine the same situation, they go, they're not coming.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, totally different.

[John Crist]

It almost makes me emotional. Like, it's. It's over. They're not. They're. You can't endure anything because you go, like, they're not coming. And if you go, one day I could have a family. Maybe one day I could do comedy again. Maybe one day I could see my nieces and nephews. You go, I can endure. You can endure a job. I'm sure there's single mothers listening to this, that their current situation is horrific, but they go, well, if I keep doing, this will turn.

[Sadie Robertson]

This will turn. And I mean, it talks about, you know, looking at Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith when we go through things like this, because Jesus endured the pain of the cross or the hope of heaven, and that we would get to join him in that. And so, like, enduring something like the cross, even though, yes, he's God, no, he was human, fully human. Emptied himself of his deity in that moment to be human, and, like, took on all of the sin in the world, like, the pain, the hardship. He literally was sweating blood, asking God, like, if this can pass, let it pass. But yet that was the reason he came. And so he endured it because of hope, because of the future, because of heaven. And so, like, again, yes, the little things are important, but at the end of the day, like, to have a hope and a faith in Jesus, it's like, hey, it might not get better on this side, but, like, there is a hope of heaven and that the Holy Spirit is going to help me right now. He will be the strength in my weakness. Before I physically feel it, I can spiritually begin to let hope rise within me. And I think about, like, even whenever we talk about doing good in sermons and not doing good, when I think about that, it's When I think back to, like, when I would speak as a kid for, like, Duck Dynasty days, I would do horrible. Those were when they asked for their money back. Because I was doing it in my own strength. I was just trying to be like, uncle Si really is weird and drink sweet tea. Like, I wasn't, like, saying these things.

[John Crist]

Well, I can see why they didn't.

[Sadie Robertson]

Like, that matter, you know, I was just trying to. Yeah. Get the likes. Get the hit. But now I'm like, I'm not doing it in my own strength. Like, I'm really not. I am leaning into the spirit of God, and he, like, the word says so many times, like, open your mouth. I'll give you the words to say. The spirit will give you the words to say. And so, like, to me, I'm like, who am I to say it was good or bad if it's like, what the Lord's doing, you know, Like. And so I feel like it's like.

[John Crist]

A. I just say after. I should be. I kind of joke. I like, I'm playing with house money now. It should have been over. The story should have been over. And anything happens now is like, I don't. Like, what. What's the. I guess what's the. Like, I just like to make things that I like, and if other people enjoy them, great. If. If the show. If the show's sold out or if the. The show's like, I don't know. It's. It doesn't affect me like it used to. I think that's the difference, because you go, what. What is the. What's the best case scenario of. Of this pod? You're like, all right. It becomes the biggest. And then you're like, all right. And then more money or like, what. You know what I'm saying? There's nothing at the end of that. I feel like maybe that's what I'm trying to. There's no all right. Then you go to the arena, then you go to the stadium, then you go to the. Well, if you just keep going and then. And then. And then. And. And then.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yep, We've talked about that a lot, even in. On the back end of why we do the podcast. Because there are sometimes we have conversations on the podcast that don't perform as well because maybe people don't know the person. And I go, well, that's okay, because, you know, say less people listen to this podcast, but we have a much better conversation that's so intentional. That changes 10 people's life. It was just one, of course, worthy of just one. But say it changes five of the 50,000 people that listen to the episode as opposed to 100,000. Well, then, like, I mean, it doesn't matter. Like, like. But then. But then advertisers, the pressure of, like, oh, well, then you didn't hit this number, so you shouldn't do this. And I'm like, but at the end of the day, that's not. Yeah, that's not what I'm going for. That's. Yeah, that's not success to me.

[John Crist]

You took yourself off of that train.

[Sadie Robertson]

Like, what is success? You have to. Everybody has to ask themselves that, like, what is it worth? What. Where am I going? How far am I trying to take this? And to me, like, because that is true about podcasting and whatever you do, you have that pressure to a point to make this work or this happy or financially make sense. But it's like, but if we're trying to reach people and impact people and that's the kingdom work we're doing, then, yeah, do the ones that might not be successful in the world's eyes, but this is going to impact a large group of people, and maybe the large group looks at 10, but huge impact in their generations will change because of this conversation.

[John Crist]

Still have to.

[Sadie Robertson]

So you still got to keep the.

[John Crist]

Lights on, I think. For our. Our. My special that came out two weeks ago, I said, yes, we put all this money into producing the comedy special. It's on YouTube. And I go, why don't we. Nobody said this, but I go, why don't we turn off the ads? And they go, what? That's the whole. I go, yeah, but it's a great piece of content. If I'm in the middle of a joke and they're at Pfizer. No disrespect to Pfizer, but if they were like that. And I go, well, they were like, what about the. I go, well. And everybody's not in the position that, like, I was like, well, let's just. I believe in it and what's. It just seems like it never ends.

[Sadie Robertson]

So sometimes, you know, to. We do our podcast every Wednesday and every other Monday. So episodes have to come. And there have been times where I speak somewhere, like, oh, can we just put the sermon out? I'm like, no, because I don't want to add in the middle of a sermon, because what if, like, I'm saying something that's like, the Lord's really moving on someone's heart? And then, yeah, it's like, don't interrupt this moment with the Lord, it's different. In a podcast, we're having a conversation. It can stop at a point. You can do that. But when you're in a sermon and the spirit's moving in someone's life, you don't want to interrupt that, you know? And so I feel you. And I think you have to walk in your conviction with that. Like, I mean, you said that even when people said, don't say the Christian jokes, you gotta walk in your conviction. Like, this is what I'm called to do. So if that's not working, that's what.

[John Crist]

I think is funny.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, that's what I think is funny. What was your first show back? Coming back out of a hard time? Was it hard to do that?

[John Crist]

And listen, let me say before we go forward that I don't want to compare. I just made a lot of poor choices, and I had to sit with the consequences of those choices. So I don't want to be like, the devil was. I made all those choices myself, and I would look you in the eye and say that I be responsible for all of them. So I don't want to diminish it or be like, the, the, yeah, there was a target on my back. And I mean, some of those things are true, but I don't want to skirt responsibility. But I, I, I remember my agent, he was like, let's do Covet. Happened, like, right after that, it was in 2020. And he goes, let's just do a show at the local, at the Zany's, which is the comedy club in Nashville. And I go, I mean, I remember me and my assistant, her name was Eleanor at the time, I hadn't done anything in nine months. And, you know, and I remember me and her sat in my kitchen and just were bawling, dude, bawling about. I, I changed my Facebook profile to like a. I had not, I had not said a word on the Internet in nine months. And I was like. And I didn't even consider that that would go on the timeline. And people were like, oh, my God, he's back. Or like, we. I can't wait. This is. They were so excited just of. And I was like, like living in a place where you thought you were, like, outcast or you were nobody love or everybody hates you or you're, you're poor choices are a death sentence for you. And we, I, She, I remember she just post because we were doing all. Because we were about to come back, and it was the first time. It was just like, oh, my God. We missed him. I can't believe he's back. And we were just bawling, dude, we were bawling. And I only say that because, like, I don't even deserve that or I didn't. I didn't. That was. I don't even know. I. I just, like, that's the unbelievable amount of. Of like, like, love that. That was shown to me. Undeserved, that I. And then we did a. We put on a show. We put it for sale. And then my agent called me in like 40 minutes and he was like, it's sold out. And I was like, what? Like, the. The wildest thing when I was in rehab in. It was like, for the first month, you can't. Nobody can call you. Nobody can reach out from the outside. They just want to make sure that you're okay and healthy. So you. No contact with the outside. So I remember after a month, I came into the, like, mail center, whatever, and there's a. My name was written on there, meaning I had a piece of mail. And I was like. I went to the thing. I was like, hey, my. I got a piece of mail. And they. They brought me a little. One of those voicemail, like, little notes. And it said, said, your parents are coming to see you. And I was like, I thought. I liked, you know, shamed my family and my parents are prominent in the community. And I was like, what. What do you mean they're coming? I've embarrassed myself publicly. And they were like, they're coming to see you? And then I was like, why would you think they wouldn't? You know, where did you get the idea that your parent wouldn't be the. And I was like, oh. And it's like, I think that the joke about that everybody switching denominations and everybody, especially my age, I'm 40, are like, wrestling with the faith is that everybody is like, all right. That kind of flipped my whole faith because, like, the works, performance based. Make sure you look good. And if you like. I remember in growing up in youth group, they were like, I make jokes about it. Like, if you kiss a girl, you're banished. All these things, especially around sex, they were very, like, rigid. And then everybody knew everything about me. And they were like, we love you. And I was like. And a lot of people listening to this probably do not have that story that they got divorced. I hear all the time that we got divorced. I got kicked out of my church. I was. I got pregnant and I got kicked out of my youth group or. Right. Everybody has these stories. And so now you. Everybody my age is, like, trying to figure out, like, nobody really wants to throw it out. You know, you can see people on the Internet, like, war about, oh, this mega church or this, but nobody's. They're like, yeah, I think there might be something now, like, the commercial industry of Christianity. There are humans, obviously, but I think a lot of people are like, I think there's something to that.

[Sadie Robertson]

Well, I think it's really beautiful what you experience, because what you experience is truly the heart of God. Like, it is true love, being fully known and fully loved. Like grace that just radically shakes you. It's like when you expect to get shame and you get love. You get, you know, you're received by mercy and grace. Like, that is the message of Jesus. That's what Jesus portrayed to every person that he spoke to, talked to, and that is what's extended. And the sad thing is people who have that story, the alternative story is stories of people who said they were Christians, said they're believers, but didn't act like Christ. And so then, like, me included, by the way. Yeah, yeah. So then you're super hurt. And that's why I think you don't want to throw out because, like, you want to throw out that, like, what I just experienced, like, the church hurt. But I don't want to throw out the true faith, because if there really is a God who really could fully know me and fully love me, really did send his son to die for me, really does extend that grace and mercy, Like, I want that if. If that is true, if that's true.

[John Crist]

And I feel like we go from times where, like, I believe that or like, somebody goes, if you're. You know, I've been at times in my life where, like, I don't know if that's true, but no one's be like, hey, I'm out. There's a. I think a lot of people that are very vocal about, like, if I've said this all the time. We go to the. The open mic night at the comedy club tonight. There'd be 20 comics on the stage. If you sat through that whole open mic night, 15 of them or more would have a joke about Jesus or Christianity. And these are not people of faith. So everybody is, in essence, like, that's what comedy is, is wrestling with these interesting.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

Nobody. There's no jokes about Muhammad. There's no jokes about all. But every. Everybody. All these comedians are going, I don't think it's true. And they're speaking against it, but they are.

[Sadie Robertson]

They're thinking about it and it's.

[John Crist]

And this man that lived 2,000 years ago, they were like, why is it still something about this? And you look at, yeah, this pastor's got a private jet. You're like, yeah, I understand that. That is not. If you read the book, that's not in there. And a lot of it has been. A lot of the faith practice has been twisted and, you know, we had to fall over and they had to wear long pants, they had to wear skirts. This, this denomination can't wear makeup, all these type of wild things. But no one is like, has put. Everybody lays their head down on the pillow and I. People are trashing on Christ, but all of them are talking about him.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yep.

[John Crist]

Everyone got some kind of. They got some kind of jokes, and I feel like, like, yeah, if you know the kind of the truth or something, you don't really have to argue it. You just go, it's true. Yeah, you know, that's true. And not in an aggressive way, but.

[Sadie Robertson]

You go, yep, yeah, that's good. That's very true. You know, I think about people listening to this and when you were talking about that time of your life, thinking there's no hope. And now I just want to point out for those listening, like, you literally are on tour, like a comedy tour. You just put out a YouTube special that was absolutely hilarious. Like, we start. Started this conversation out laughing so much. And they got to the point in this conversation where there's so much truth being spoken and literally, like, go to church sermon and like, so that just, like, you are a living example of what it looks like if you just keep the hope and keep walking and keep putting one set in front of the other and keep going into your tomorrows. And so it's very encouraging sitting here talking to you and just seeing the kind of content that you're putting out, knowing where you were, seeing where you're at, and knowing that that's what Jesus can do in anyone's life. It's what he did in life. And I'm so thankful you're willing to share that because your life is huge testimony to those watching.

[John Crist]

That's very kind of you to say. Yeah, it. I think if you, if you. I, I mean, I Remember days in 20, 18, 19 that I go after the show, I was in such a high from the show. The dopamine rush from a standing ovation is. And I go, I'm not going to be able to survive this night without some kind of interaction with a woman or alcohol. I will Not. I feel like I described it to my therapist one time, and I bet people will relate to this. When I closed that hotel room door, it was like prison. It was like a prison. Like, I will not survive. I will not survive there. And I remember one of the last cities we were in, Wichita Falls. I'm not here to brag, but I was doing pretty well at the time. But I remember that they go, usually we take the bus. And if I was on the bus, all my buddies were there, and it was more of, like, a community. It was a little bit safer. Now it was so far of a drive back to Nashville that they were like, you're going to stay in a hotel and then fly in the morning. And I remember not. I go, I loaded up my bag with what, white claws and snuck them into the hotel. Because I was like, this is the only way I'm going to be able to survive and to be. I remember going to my first AA meeting, and the guy who said he was third, 30 days sober. I go, there's no way. There's no way. I don't believe that. I don't believe that. And to be five years sober now, granted, I still got a lot of problems. I'm not here to be like, I'm fixed. Follow me. But that is a miracle. I don't know how else to say it other than that it's a miracle. And the comedy, by the way, is a thousand times more sincere and more like, if you don't. I think if you don't, for whatever your faith, tradition, if you. If my choices or behavior was beyond what you could continue to follow, that's fine. That everybody has their own conviction that absolutely. I got. I'm not here to ask for somebody's like, please, like, accept me back or something like that. I think the people that are, like, supportive of me and then they. They have been. And so it's. It's. It does. It comes from a place. Like, I've said this about. This community here in West Monroe is like, I go, last time I was on the podcast, those guys came in from hunting to have a podcast. They don't. They don't. They're not even on the Internet. There's a lot of people in your family aren't on the Internet. I go, these are the guys to trust. They don't have. They have no agenda except for to. To tell you about cr.

[Sadie Robertson]

Christ.

[John Crist]

They're not. Nobody's hand is in their pockets. No. They're like, these guys are as sincere as you could Possibly be. I think going through something like that, I think a lot of people would say, coming on the other end of it, you're like, I look the devil in the eye. I always say that. My girlfriend always makes fun of me. I go, I looked at devil in the eye, dude. I. I don't. Whatever. Whatever could possibly come of. I'm. I'm fine.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, my grandpa says that. I think there's a part in the movie where he says in the Blind, it's about his life and really the hardest parts of his life. And it's like, I lick the devil in the eye.

[John Crist]

He says that?

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, he talks about that. He talks about that. But I think I'm just so thankful that you share your story. And I feel like once, you know, when you're in Christ and you experience this, too, in marriage, I think Christian gave me this gift as well. When you know you're fully known and fully loved, it's one of the most freeing things in the world. And I was talking about this. Through our marriage, since we've gotten married married, I have been so much more confident in who I am as a person, because I'm like, I don't really care what other people think. I know who I am. My husband knows who I am. My family knows who I am, and they love me and they accept me and know me and. And the good, the bad, the ugly. Like, you kind of consider it. Yeah.

[John Crist]

Like, if something is not in the podcast, or they did. You're speaking, didn't connect, you will consider it.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

But it's not.

[Sadie Robertson]

It doesn't tell me who I am. You know, it doesn't dictate the rest of my day, the rest of my night, you know, have someone speaking truth over my life. And so just seeing you in here, it's so freeing to speak with someone who's so authentically themselves and willing to share the hard things in life. I truly mean this when I say this. Of seven years of doing this podcast, this is one of my very favorite conversations I've ever had on the podcast. And I really mean that, because not many people walk in the authenticity and vulnerability that you walk in. But I think that comes from going through what you have gone through and being willing to share. And that's a testimony, and I'm very thankful that you were willing to share on the podcast. And. Come on. I'm sorry it took seven years, but I'm kind of glad it did.

[John Crist]

Yeah, it's probably for the best. And I'll say that a lot of people that. There are a lot of people that are listening to this that do have secrets or that if they found out about my. My boss would fire me, my spouse would leave me, my kids would. Like, I was caught. And like, I, like, just. I didn't have the courage to come forward either. So I don't, I don't. I can't. It's so much better on this side. It's so much more free. And you can be in a relationship with someone that does know you and knows all your secret, but I didn't have the courage at the time to be like, hey, whoever needed it? This is what I'm struggling with. So I, I reacted in a way that let that push me towards Christ versus the other way on the other side. But there's still a lot of people that I talk to that are trapped in that area. But. And, And I was like, well, I didn't have the courage to do it either. Does that make sense or no?

[Sadie Robertson]

I actually heard you say that before on a podcast as I was listening to the different ones to prepare for this one. And I was like, I want to say, I don't think that you have to be hard on yourself in saying that. You're not an example for that, even just because you didn't do it. Because I think sometimes, like for instance, after this podcast, I'm interviewing Ben Stewart, who wrote Single Day, Engaged, Married. And I was gonna ask Ben, does this book come from experience, how you actually dated Donna, or from wisdom, looking back, how you wish you would have? And so I think you can speak into something by saying, saying, this is not how I did it, but as I've matured and as I've grown in wisdom and as I've seen what's on the other side, I am going to say the best thing you could possibly do is to step out and to shine a light on it and get accountability and to confess. Well, in the Bible says, confess your sins to one another. You'll be healed. So to encourage people in that, you don't have to be the hero and say, I did it, you know, but you can say, but this is the best thing to do. And I'm saying this not because I did it, but because Jesus said to do it, you know, or I'm saying this not because I did it it, because through wisdom of learning the hard way, I can tell you this is the best way to do it. So I think it's humble to say I didn't do it. I didn't have the Courage to do it. But I think it's still good to encourage others. It's the best thing to do. But again, thank you for sharing. This was incredible.

[John Crist]

It's an honor to be out here. I think we're in the same color.

[Sadie Robertson]

Look at that.

[John Crist]

Let's go.

[Sadie Robertson]

Didn't even plan it. Oh, yeah. We never said that.

[John Crist]

Everybody in the YouTube, everybody's gonna be like, what was the joke? Okay, well, I. So this is terrible. I, I, like we'd spent a ton of time outside. We were little and my skin would get very dark. I be. Get real tan. And the first thing they, they told me, the first thing you do, you go out on stage, you should acknowledge what the. What they look at you and think. So I usually be like, I know you guys are looking at me and you're like, did that guy just valet my car at the mall this afternoon? I'd be like, no, because I only work Tuesday and Thursday or something like that. Because that's what they would look at me and think, so. So I go, my first joke ever. I go, my skin gets pretty dark in the summer. I know a lot of you guys are asking what race I am, and I say, I'm not white. I'm more like wheat. And then I go, well, my mom's white and my dad's nine grain. And I'm telling you, not one.

[Sadie Robertson]

Crickets.

[John Crist]

No, no, the crickets would be an encouragement. Everybody was just like. And I had done a lot of jokes in like my church, like for the announcements or like I was always the guy at church. And I was like, ah, like coming in, I was like, this crowd's going to love me, bro. And they were like. And the first time you get, the first time you try to stand up, they give you two minutes.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh my God.

[John Crist]

Cuz that's like. But that just like when you were doing 25 minutes and you only did five.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[John Crist]

If you do that joke in the first 10 seconds and you got another minute and night, it's so. It was.

[Sadie Robertson]

It feels like Tony.

[John Crist]

Horrible. It bombed so bad.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's pretty bad.

[John Crist]

Yeah. So if you're like on the Ticket Master, like, I'm going to go to John show and you hear this, you go, actually, never mind. It's better now.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's come a long way. It's come a really long way. That is hilarious. Ra.