Stand-up comic David Lucas believes that good authentic comedy can bring healing to people just like the spiritual words of a religious leader.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the rising comedian described that though he had the traditional upbringing that could have made him the leader of a congregation, he found the ability to bring another type of healing to people through his blunt style of comedy.
He described his comedy as "in some sense preaching and also healing to a lot of people who are going through different periods of their life."
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The Macon, Georgia native talked about growing up with a single mom and his strict religious grandfather as his father figure.
"Yeah, I was raised in Macon, Georgia, and I grew up with a, you know, traditional Southern Baptist household. My granddaddy was very strict," he said.
Lucas mentioned how his grandfather would take him to "church all the time," joking that it was as if his grandfather was preparing him for religious life.
"So it's crazy that I turned out this way because it seems like he was preparing me to be a preacher of some sort," he said.
Like preachers helping souls navigate spiritual darkness, Lucas believes comedians like him, Joe Rogan and others are helping people see the truth in an era where traditional media has been widely discredited.
"I feel like in a very dark period, Rogan's podcast brought a lot of enlightenment to people, especially when he started bringing on accredited people that could back what he was saying," Lucas said.
"But a lot of what we know as public media has been discredited. And I think that came along with the territory of COVID and the George Floyd situation. You know, they really pumped a lot of fear into us - a lot of fearmongering, a lot of doubt, to where people didn't know where to turn."
He continued, "So when you turn on JRE [Joe Rogan Experience], you hear this guy, you know, telling you like, 'Hey, maybe don't get vaccinated if you're a healthy adult.' Then people are like, 'Well, that aligns with what I believe, because why would I put a vaccine in my system that I know absolutely nothing about?'"
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Rogan's podcast, along with others - like comedian Theo Von's podcast - were widely credited with beating out traditional media and news networks in delivering people information in recent months, especially around the 2024 presidential election. Many say President Trump appearing on those long-form programs won him the election.
On his latest special, "Uncancellable," the comic showcases his own anti-status-quo point of view, putting up a barrage of jokes skewering the cultural and political norms of our current era.
Lucas' special, which dropped online in 2024, features jokes against politicians like former President Joe Biden and President Trump, as well as digs against the #MeToo movement and the LGBTQ movement - particularly the trans community.
However, despite going after highly political subject matter, Lucas insisted to Fox that he doesn't see himself as a political comic but as someone who makes jokes based on "common sense."
"I don't really like to take a political stance, even though a lot of my views in life are more right-leaning. But I have some liberal views as well. But it's like, at the end of the day, common sense is common sense."
A big part of his motivation to drill some straight talk and common sense into his audiences is his contempt for groups that believe they should be off-limits from being made fun of.
He stressed to Fox that he refuses to go easier on more sensitive groups, saying that no one deserves to be shielded from jokes.
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"But, it's like some groups want this special treatment, and they want to be a part [of society]. Well, being a part of it comes with jokes and criticism. So, you got to accept all facets of it. It's not just one-sided," he said. "Blacks get talked about, fat people get talked about, men get talked about, women get talked about, straight get talked about, gay get talked about. That's just how it is."
Going after sensitive groups or sensitive subjects seems to be one of Lucas' favorite aspects of comedy. The comic, who started his career as a roast comic on MTV's "Yo Momma" back in the 2000s, told Fox, "Crowds will turn on me because I will go down some deep, deep, dark pathways. And sometimes I like to put myself in a hole to see if I can get myself out of it."
"It's challenging, bro. It's challenging," he said, describing that being able to dig himself out of those holes during a show is a "very great feeling."
The comic has his own podcast called "Fishing With David Lucas," where he sits down with famous comedians, influencers and other interesting people to talk about their lives, interests and other topics in a peaceful nature setting.
"Like, you're in nature, you're relaxed. And then people that come on the podcast are like, 'This is so much better than being in the studio. Like, I just feel at peace by the water,'" the comic said. "This is just like two old men sitting at the lake talking s---, you know? So, you're very relaxed, and I think a lot of people appreciate that nature side of doing a podcast because you don't really get that anywhere else."
The comedian is currently on tour in the United States. You can watch his special "Uncancellable" at davidlucascomedy.com and catch his podcast on YouTube.
