Earlier this month, Jeff Foxworthy released his final stand-up comedy special.
It’s not on Netflix or Hulu or even YouTube, but a specialty streamer not particularly known for comedy — Fox Nation.
The streamer only has a handful of original comedy specials. “Unlike Netflix, we’re not a quantity play,” says its president, Lauren Petterson. “We want Nation to be more premium and curated and intentional.”
The Murdoch-owned platform’s collaboration with Foxworthy is unusual in that the comedian was not touring and had no plans to release another special. Fox Nation reached out to Foxworthy to see if he had any ideas and helped him build the hour — in which he takes viewers behind the scenes of his joke-writing process — from the very beginning. After months of collaboration, the streamer gave the project a green light. (Fox Nation sees itself as the place where sought-after talent can take their passion projects, with Petterson touting Martin Scorsese’s “The Saints” and Kevin Costner’s “Yellowstone to Yosemite” docuseries.)
Foxworthy’s hour differs from Fox Nation’s previous specials in that while the comedian himself is a conservative, his material is apolitical. Conversely, Rob Schneider’s 2023 special was plugged as a “woke-free” hour in which he rants about COVID, transgender issues and Joe Biden. And Roseanne Barr’s “Cancel This!” comeback special touched on cancel culture, Roe v. Wade and her “libtard” daughters. Both specials were the most-watched shows on Fox Nation during the months in which they debuted.
