The Internet Is Roasting Jeff Foxworthy For Dated Joke In His New Netflix Special

Weird as it may seem, Jeff Foxworthy had a big hand in giving stand-up a bigger placement in the pop culture sphere, not just through talk show performances and the like, but by spinning “music videos” out of his 1993 debut album You Might Be a Redneck If…, which later led to similar wins for fellow Blue Collar comedians Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White. Nearly 30 years after breaking the mold, Foxworthy has now unleashed his first comedy special in years, and his first ever for Netflix, but judging from how people have skewered it on social media, some of the jokes are dated enough to be growing mold of their own.

Jeff Foxworthy: The Good Old Days was released on Tuesday, March 22, with the other big Netflix release that day being the limited series The Principles of Pleasure, and I cannot imagine the two projects covering the same subject matter in the slightest. But one topic that Foxworthy specifically focused on was the idea that participation trophies aren’t the greatest invention since sliced bread. And regardless of one’s feelings about the idea itself, I think the entire world can agree that the stand-up comedian is anything but timely in making this tired AF observation. And quite a few of the special’s viewers specifically pointed to that part of his act as a target for widespread roasting. 

As most people are aware at this point, Netflix is fond of giving stand-up comedians extremely lucrative deals to keep things exclusive to the streaming service, which has worked wonders for comics such as the controversy-courting Dave Chappelle. But while Foxworthy’s act wasn’t quite as intentionally provoking as Chappelle’s, it still played into dated stereotypes that headlining acts started avoiding years ago. And to that end…

Which is sort of true, since Netflix has set up some legacy comics with exclusive specials seemingly for the hell of it, while still offering up-and-coming comedians slots for presumably far less money. And as far as legacy goes, the Twitter user below wonders how Jeff Foxworthy existed at a time before second-place medals existed, what with the Olympics being hundreds of years old and all.

By and large, a slew of criticism over that particular joke specifically pointed to the evolution of participation trophies and the like originating with Foxworthy's generation, with many people calling him out for being a hypocrite on top of being late AF to the table with this observation.

I do wish there were some kind of Twitter Reaction award — whether it'd be a trophy or a framed certificate or keychain — because I feel like the logic invested in the comment below is deserving of something tangible. 

To be sure, the reactions to Jeff Foxworthy's joke weren't merely pointing out the irony and lack of timeliness involved in the highly-memed joke. Others were more keen on bringing direct parody and satire to his words, such as it went in the Twitter post below, which hinges on everyone's favorite physically impossible canine.

And then for everyone out there who has a penchant for more mature humor that many of Jeff Foxworthy's younger fans may not be so quick to understand...

Those with a Netflix subscription can currently stream Jeff Foxworthy: The Good Old Days to their hearts’ content, along with tons of other stand-up comedy specials exclusive to the streaming service. While waiting to see what other qualifications one needs to identify as a true redneck in Foxworthy’s eyes, be sure to catch up with the best stand-up comedy specials streaming on Prime Video, as well as checking out our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way soon.