Jason Earls

Jason Earls: Stand-Up Guy Local Christian Comic “Makes You Laugh to Help You Live”

By Judy Truesdell

It all started when Jason Earls performed a comedy monologue as part of his Mr. Virginia University audition. Everyone laughed. “I didn’t win, but the next day on campus, a guy with a brassy New York tone yelled my name and said, ‘Last night I was mad and frustrated and didn’t feel like laughing at all, but when you came out on stage, I couldn’t help it!’ I said to myself, ‘Yup. That’s what I want.’ I always wanted to help people more than just making them laugh.”

He describes his act as Christian comedy, but not “corny.” Starting out, when he looked at others performing quality comedy, he didn’t see an abundance of Christian material, and realized that, because he is a Christian and dedicated to his community, it was inevitable that he should fill that void. He didn’t, however, start out in the safer environment of churches; he went straight to mainstream comedy clubs.

“If I was going to carry the title of comedian, I wanted to represent that title well,” Jason says. “That’s why I decided to start cutting my teeth in comedy clubs. In order to make people in clubs laugh, you have to possess a certain sharpness and skill.”

Jason has those attributes and more. His likable persona and good solid material have garnered bookings and experiences that are not only gratifying to him as a performer, but heartwarming to him as a Christian and a human on the planet. For instance, he performed at a school in a village in Ghana, Africa, where kids were packed so tightly that they were standing outside on top of each other, looking through the windows. “To hear those students, who don’t have much of anything, bellow out in laughter was incredible,” he remembers. “It continues to rest in my soul.”

Jason was booked for an event at a Virginia resort for which he had been given no details except “for the military.” It turned out to be a small, intimate Special Forces group. “I can’t explain the honor … just to be able to give back to the men and women who serve our country at such an intense level. No words … ”

He performed in front of a group of 18 to 19 year olds who’ve aged out of the foster care system and had no family, and, in Japan, he performed at a military base. “To see the gratitude and enjoyment from the soldiers and their families was awesome.” He was asked back another two times. The Jason Story

Jason was born and raised in Portsmouth, Va., and graduated from Virginia State University in 1999. He moved to Texas to attend grad school at Dallas Theological Seminary, moved back home briefly to marry Terri, “the woman of his dreams,” and then moved back to the Dallas area.

“I actually bought Terri’s wedding ring by doing standup comedy,” he says. “Once we moved to Dallas, I began to pursue and grow as a comedian.” He launched full time in 2006, performing material that, while not necessarily Christian, was “clean.” Later that year, he was offered a pastoral staff position in Seattle, one of the perks of which was a flexible schedule that would accommodate his performance calendar. He was named Seattle’s Best Comedian. In 2011, he was offered another flexible pastoral job, and returned to North Texas, this time settling in Murphy. By this time, he and Terri had five kids and another one in progress. Since 2016, he has made his living as a comedian.

Jason doesn’t always play it safe.

“When I look at the scope of Christian comedy, it’s always been done from a position of safety,” he said. “Great comedy isn’t always safe. It has an edge to it that challenges an audience to get out of their comfort zone and view life from a different perspective. That’s why I’ve started venturing out into that unsafe space to gently nudge audiences who, like sheep, don’t like to be nudged.” He says his material doesn’t lack integrity, but it does touch on some adult themes – and “is NOT corny.”

The tragedy he refers to as “this lady named Rona,” has caused him to cancel live performances for the immediate future, but he produced the “Laughter in Place” a virtual comedy tour with various dates. He also has created a variety of GIFS, which he notes seem to be the “new language of today.” With over 8 million views, it would seem he’s right. He is also active on Instagram and Facebook; a weekly social media schedule (and all the other information anyone could need) is featured on his website, JasonEarls.com.

He and his wife have a joint venture as well. “Since I have six kids and a wife who seems to be head over heels in love with me, a lot of people have asked us for marital and family guidance. As a result, we’ve created marriage content called ‘Marriage DNA.’” When there isn’t a pandemic under way, they speak at seminars, conferences, and retreats. Comedy in Wylie

Jason said he believes in this area so much that, as president of the national Christian Comedy Association, he brought the national conference, usually held in big cities like Los Angeles, Nashville, and Atlanta, to Wylie in 2019 for Wylie Comedy Night. “Our community united and laughed together for four days in Wylie,” he says. “We experienced the treat of some of our nation’s best clean and Christian comedians, along with the publicity and resources that come from hosting a national conference.” The comics were able to experience the love of “small town Texas” when some of the downtown Wylie venues were transformed into comedy clubs for the week. The pandemic has caused the conference to be canceled for 2020, but he hopes to bring it back in years to come.

He and his family love living in the area. “It’s not the big city where we’re in the hustle and bustle, but it has enough ‘jump’ to where we can smile and nod our heads and say, ‘Yup, this is where we live.” Their six kids are named Aaron, Alexandria, Alicia, Andrew, Achim, and Aniyah. “That’s my first time making straight A’s,” their father says. “Regardless of the accolades that I ever receive from performing, my family is my greatest accomplishment (not MY accomplishment, but HIS.)” What keeps him moving and creating?

“The bird that’s made a nest outside my bedroom window has no clue how much it motivates me every morning to hear it singing. That bird has NO CLUE of how many videos or how much content I’ve written based on the motivation of its chirping. In the same way that bird chirps, God has placed comedy inside of me. Ultimately the more I do what I’ve been created to do, the more it motivates people in ways I will never know.

“I think part of helping people is to first of all be able to do what God has placed you on earth to do. A bird has to sing, a lion has to roar, and a Jason has to talk and make people laugh.” •