Jeff Foxworthy

As one of the most respected and successful comedians in the country, Jeff Foxworthy has made a name for himself as a comedian with decades of experience. He will now be returning to perform in North Dakota at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge Saturday at 7 p.m.

Foxworthy began his career as a comedian unexpectedly. He’d always been full of humor, saying he was born with the gift of being funny. He grew up saving his allowance to buy comedy records. He would then memorize them to reenact them while at school.

He never considered that being a comedian was a possibility until he got his chance on stage.

“I was working at IBM fixing machines and a bunch of co-workers entered me in a local comedy competition,” said Foxworthy. “Well I won the contest and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a comedian.”

He quit his job, greatly to his mother’s dismay, and kicked off his new career path.

“I quit my job at IBM to which my mom asked, ‘Are you on dope?'” Foxworthy explained. “Five years later I was on Johnny Carson and the same mother was saying, ‘You know you wasted all those years at IBM.'”

His career has now gone beyond his wildest dreams and he has even sold more records than any other comedian in history. He’s hosted TV shows including “Are You Smarter than A 5th Grader” and “The American Baking Competition” and has hosted radio shows, been in movies, and is even a best-selling author,

When asked what a highlight of his career is, Foxworthy said “There have been so many. The Blue Collar Tour, Grammy nominations, writing several children’s books, hosting ‘Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader,’ but if I had to just pick only one, it would be being on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and making him laugh so much that he called me over to the couch. That was my dream when I started.”

Foxworthy has performed in all 50 states. North Dakota is one he enjoys, saying he’s a huge outdoorsman.

“I love to bow hunt, fish and look for arrowheads, so North Dakota is a really cool state for me to visit and explore,” he said.

He loves to perform and says that walking out on stage for a show is just like walking out to talk to friends. Making people laugh is his goal and something he’s always enjoyed.

“I have always said that laughter is the release valve that keeps the boiler from exploding. It doesn’t make our struggles go away, but it recharges and refreshes us enough to continue on,” Foxworthy said.

While Foxworthy is widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes even further to explore the humor in everyday family interactions, and human nature. His style has even been compared to Mark Twain’s.

Tickets for his show cost between $25 to $75 depending on the seating option. A Fun Bus Package is available for $80 and involves transportation to and from the show, one Gold Admission ticket, two free beverages and $20 in Free Slot Play.

A Stay and Play package is also available for $210 and includes a hotel room, two Gold Admission tickets and $20 in Free Slot Play.

Tickets can be purchased at the 4 Bears Players Club, online at 4bearscasino.com, or by phone by calling 627-7575.