“She was a Christian, but now she’s a comedian.”
Those are the words that Leanne Morgan says not only hurt her feelings but reveal how Christians sometimes struggle to hold funnies and faith in tension.
Morgan, a standup comedian who recently completed a 100-city comedy tour, has a top-10 ranking Netflix special, and appears in an upcoming film starring Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, believes that helping someone laugh is a way of blessing them. A 57-year-old mother and grandmother, Morgan draws on her decades of family life in her sets. She’s not going for the cheap chortle. Instead, Morgan has a specific vision for how her material connects with the audience—especially the female members.
“I think it’s helping women feel seen and heard,” she told CT. “Your life is not over at 40, though we’re told to feel that way. It’s never too late.”
Morgan hopes that her comedy will bring joy and comfort to others. In that view, the idea that she was a Christian but gave that up to become a comedian starts to seem, well, laughable.
“People come up to me and tell me I helped them get through chemo, or the pandemic, or their husband’s death,” said Morgan. In moments when their spirits are crushed, people are receiving the good medicine of laughter (Proverbs 17:22) through Morgan’s work. May we, too, find joy when we need it, trusting that God can use humor to bring us deeper into faith.
