Preacher Lawson

When Simon Cowell began in 2005 with a remit to radicalise talent competitions, there were few who would have foreseen the levels of success that shows like X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent (and numerous spin offs) would have.

For Cowell, the premise for Talents was simple, create a competition far grander than those of other televised talent contests This mass-appeal entertainment didn’t try to be anything other than what it was, light entertainment TV that brought people together in a sort of strange collective mind shift that accepted ‘talent’ as being anything from DJ Talent (a man with gold teeth) to the world’s cringiest musical comedy duo, Brian and Kryssal And yet, it worked!

Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) was the starting point and has had innumerable acts loved or laughed off TV by the British public in equal measure Standout names included Diversity, Stavros Flatley and national treasure, Pudsey the dog Let’s not forget (how can we, given she was literally inescapable for two years), Susan Boyle, a woman whose unstoppable musical rise and ability was talked about almost as much as her physical appearance.

Following the huge success of BGT, the show went Stateside and of course, it was even bigger, better and –well – just more American

Cue Preacher Lawson, a season 12 finalist on America’s Got Talent (AGT), who wowed audiences with his offkilter and killer punchline observational comedy

“It was crazy, my first episode aired, and my phone literally shut itself off as I had so many ‘follows’, calls and messages I had no idea how big AGT actually was!”

Preacher Lawson is talking to me via Zoom while trying to – still – comprehend the magnitude of the programme and what felt like his overnight success

“I went from not being able to pay my bills to having to pay other people’s bills It changed my life a lot and I am super grateful for it.”

I asked him about the differences between the important ‘cultural event’ that is AGT and BGT. Preacher summarised it succinctly: “You guys [in the UK] are weirder – we are just bigger. In Britain, you guys are like, ‘Here’s the act ’ In America, we are like ‘HERE’S. THE. ACT’”, he laughs.

Peacher Lawson, however, is a star – and not just because in Season 12 he was up against Jokgu, a pianoplaying chicken, and Anthony Penoso, a man penning gushing songs about his much younger wife He really has talent, something Spice Girl Mel B certainly noticed! And Preacher noticed her but being in a relationship

Prior to AGT, Preacher had been doing stand-up for several years, honing his craft while living in Orlando, Florida.

“I have always been hyper, I don’t know if I am good at comedy but I am hyperactive. When I was a kid, I was the definition of a class clown – always liked making people laugh I wanted to be in a sitcom, to be an actor, but then I tried stand-up and thought, ‘oh screw sitcoms, this is great ’ It’s the greatest feeling in the world ”

Preacher started writing jokes when he was 16 then performed for the first time at age 17 He won the 2015, Funniest Comedian In Florida and then in 2016, the

“That is so messed up how they were exploiting these animals, I thought, while eating a meat sandwich. It hit me how hypocritical I was ”

After a year of vegetarianism he switched fully to veganism after watching the documentary Earthlings

“I thought, oh no, I don’t want to be vegan but there was no way I couldn’t be after watching the film I was tricked into it!”

Not everyone saw it as a positive move: “I lost TV shows, friends and opportunities because I was militant. I would be like ‘they’re raping and murdering animals’, and I was shouting ‘you don’t see what’s happening’ at people

“Then I was like, okay, slow down, because 99 per cent of people aren’t vegan so you must find a way to explain it. That’s why Earthling Ed is so popular – he does a great job of explaining it There are a whole load of activists that do great jobs but he does it in a way where people don’t feel like they are being attacked

“I’m not as outspoken about it now but some people want me to bleed veganism or, in my case, bleed blackness as well I will speak out but these things are just one part of me and I need to find a way that makes sense ”

While veganism permeates his act, Preacher doesn’t want to be seen as ‘the vegan comedian,’ or fit into any trope “I am a comedian who is vegan, and I am a comedian who is black. I am so pro vegan I could argue with people all day long I put it in my set because I am talking about me and my life and whenever the opportunity presents itself, I will bring it up ”

Listen to the full interview on the Viva! Vegan Podcast viva.org.uk/podcast