Comedian Jeff Foxworthy recalls performing on 'Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson': 'That was magical'

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Comedian Jeff Foxworthy recalls performing on ‘Johnny Carson’: ‘That was magical’

Veteran comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, talks his new game and why he still loves comedy after 36 years in the industry.

NEW YORK – Jeff Foxworthy has been in the comedy business for over three decades, and he still finds the work challenging.

The comedian, 61, spoke with Fox News at the 2020 Toy Fair in New York City while promoting his new game Relative Insanity, which he helped develop and write.

"I've been doing [comedy] 36 years. I still don't know what people are going to laugh at," he admitted, "which I think is what intrigues me about it. ... For me, it's like having a muse that you can't figure out. But that's what makes her intriguing."

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One of Foxworthy's biggest career moments was performing on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," where up-and-coming comedians used to make it or break it.

The Georgia native hand't met Carson before taking the mic, which only added to his nerves. "It was kind of the weird thing because they would say, if he doesn't like you, he'll just clap, If he likes you, he'll give you the OK thing. And if he loves you, he will call you over," Foxworthy recalled.

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"So when I got to the end of my six minutes of standup, I'm scared to look because it's a little bit like Caesar," he laughed. "You know, do you live or do you die? And I looked and he's waving me over to the couch. And that was a magical moment."

Fast-forward to today, when creating Relative Insanity put Foxworthy's creative side to the test as he spent weeks honing in on the jokes and punch lines.

Jeff Foxworthy with his game Relative Insanity at the NYC Toy Fair.  (Relative Insanity)

"I write and I create and I love doing it. So a game was different than a calendar or a book or a script or stand up," he explained. "So as I'm sitting there writing it, I'm thinking of, you know, your aunt reading this and laughing or your grandma or your kids."

Foxworthy believes his longevity in the comedy world is because his topics and jokes apply to a wide range of people. His process is fairly simple: If he thinks something his wife or kids said is funny, he'll run with that.

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"I just decided I'm going to be true to myself. This is who I am. I was very lucky that I found a formula that worked for me," he said. "I've always said I don't think laughter makes the problems go away, but laughter is kind of like the release valve that keeps the boiler from exploding."