Jeff Dunham has long been a lone wolf in the ventriloquist world, having had a string of television specials since his first outing. Comedy Central Presents: Jeff Dunham on the network headline in 2003. These days, however, ventriloquists in headline acts aren’t that hard to find, and that’s largely due to the huge popularity of America’s Got talent which featured three ventriloquist winners and countless contestants over the show’s 17 seasons. With Dunham leading the way for many of these people, one can’t help but wonder if she feels like they’re cluttering up the space that she monopolizes. So I asked him the question directly.
We recently caught up to chat about her new Comedy Central special. I The People. When I asked him what Jeff Dunham thought of the ventriloquist’s rise into the mainstream, he had this to say:
Well, having been a lone wolf for so many decades… suddenly, you know, they had three big America’s Got Talent winners who were ventriloquists and there were a bunch of other contestants. And I think it’s cool because now, you know, I used to call myself a “comedian/ventriloquist” because the “V” word was a dirty word. And so you didn’t mean “ventriloquist.” People just rolled their eyes and said, “Great, a ventriloquist.” But now why did all these other people come and why did they do so well and win, now I’m helping them, they’re helping me, that stigma is gone… for years we’ve been saying “ventriloquist comedian slash”, now put ‘ventriloquist ‘ first.
Well, here it is. Jeff Dunham holds no hard feelings against his competitors and believes they are all working together to eliminate the stigma surrounding the ventriloquist. It’s good to know that Dunham now feels comfortable identifying as a ventriloquist first and foremost, because while he’s made a career of incorporating comedy into his shows, He told us he would never play live. . Three decades is a long time to play puppets, and while some early career decisions have Dunham wondering what he was thinking, he’s finally come to a point where he can safely consider himself a ventriloquist/actor.
The first ventriloquist to win grand prize AGT extension that was Terry Fator from season two. He has a different approach than Dunham, as his act is more musical, but inevitably includes comedic elements. Next up is season 10 ventriloquist/comedian Paul Zerdin, followed by 12-year-old Darci Lynne from season 12. Terry Fator has been described as Darcy Lynne’s “hero” and also has a largely musical act.
That’s a lot of winners considering how few ventriloquists are known. The popularity of the art form on the show has gone so far that we’ve even seen it Simon Cowell in puppet form Yes Darci Lynne sings with a famous Muppet . He didn’t slow down either. Terry Fator will be back for America’s Got Talent: All-Stars early next year.
Jeff Dunham may have made it clear that he has no hard feelings towards his teammates, but he still has a pretty competitive attitude. When I asked him if we could expect a televised boxing match between him and Fator, he replied:
Oh no, I wouldn’t. I don’t want to hurt the boy too much.
It’s proof that even if the ‘V’ word comes first now, it’s still going to be a ‘comedy’. You can see their new special. me people on Comedy Central and various streaming platforms. If stand-up (or ventriloquism) isn’t your thing, there’s plenty more to come in our TV release schedule 2022.
Source: Cinemablend
