There is something reassuring about Trae Crowder’s comedy, particularly in these times when the American experiment is being tested on a daily basis. Born and raised in rural Tennessee, he seems like a walking contradiction, pointedly skewering conservative inconsistencies in a deep Southern drawl.
His fundamental understanding of, and compassion for, a rural lifestyle combined with a no-nonsense embrace of common sense progressive values offers hope for the possibility of a less divided populace in our future.
“I grew up in a tiny town in Tennessee in the ’90s,” Crowder says. “Me and my closest friends from back there, we would have been considered progressive for that place and time. But I never thought I would ever see things like gay marriage be legalized in my lifetime. That just seemed like a million years away to me, growing up then and there.”
Crowder dubbed himself the “liberal redneck” about 10 years ago and his frequent YouTube rants about recent news events regularly draw hundreds of thousands of views. The comedian returns to Richmond for two nights at the Funny Bone on Oct. 1-2.
Crowder fits in touring amidst an active production schedule for several podcasts that he helped develop after achieving a level of online virality during Donald Trump’s first run for president.
He now co-hosts three weekly shows: a roundup of headlines called “Weekly Skews,” an exploration of “fancy” culture from a “good ole boy” perspective called “Puttin’ On Airs,” and “WellRed: The Podcast,” which grew out of a comedy tour featuring Crowder and two other left-leaning comedians with Southern roots.
“It’s too many podcasts,” Crowder laughs. “No one should do three podcasts but what are you going to do? They just kind of have happened.”
Much of Crowder’s comedy emerges from reflecting on the abject poverty of his youth. In his latest comedy special, “Trash Daddy,” he says, “rich white kids are like, ‘Yeah, my mother was never very emotionally available and I’ve got a lot of residual psychological scarring from that.’ And white trash kids are like, ‘I got beat with a tire iron. I have actual scars from that.’”
While he lambasts the current MAGA movement, he also emphasizes his belief that the arc of history bends toward justice. Or at least, he did until recently.
“I would get into these arguments in college and I would always be like, if you look at it on a long enough timeline, we only move in one direction, and that’s forward,” Crowder says. “We continue to progress philosophically; every generation is a little smarter.
“I used to be very fervent and assured in myself about that but this era we’re in right now, like recent history, is the first time in my life that I’ve ever started to doubt that. It’s the first time I’ve ever been like, ‘You know, I guess that’s not automatic. Regression is possible.’”
Crowder says he is sometimes surprised by the demographics of his appeal.
“I do all right in the Midwest,” he says. “I think it’s because, even though I’ve got this thick accent, a lot of what I talk about is pretty applicable to rural America in general. But the northeast has never been as good for me. I’ve always felt like I’m just generally less relatable up there.”
Virginia is a regular stop for Crowder; his last trip through the state was in June 2024.
“I’ve done a bunch of shows in Richmond over the years,” he says. “There was one time a huge group of ladies, some sort of local organizing group, all came and they brought a big inflatable Trump baby balloon and had it up in the parking lot. So, you know, it’s always a mighty fine reception in Richmond.”
Trae Crowder appears at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 11800 West Broad St., Suite 1090, on Oct. 1 and 2. Both shows are at 7 p.m. Tickets and more information available at https://richmond.funnybone.com/.
