Even though he might be covered in tattoos from head to toe – literally, the only thing better than Comedian Shayne Smith’s Lately, body art may be his newfound Catholicism.
Former motorcycle gang member for sure. In good company.
Jim Gaffigan, Kevin James, Stephen Colbert, Tom Leopold, Russell Brand and Rob Schneider are just other comedians who share the same beliefs convert to catholicism in their adulthood.
The first half has been busy keeping Catholicism alive: Gaffigan recently Guangzhi Thought and Culture CenterCardinal Timothy Dolan is a board member; Kevin James reportedly hosted a Catholic retreat before the pandemic. Stephen Colbert is best known for teaching Sunday school.
But what drives these comedians toward Catholicism?
Smith, who officially converted last year, gave Fox News Digital his take – first explaining what drew him to ancient religion.
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“I chose Catholicism for all rational reasons. I’m a big historical figure and I just thought… You know, if you asked Siri who founded the religion and you were not a Catholic, she would say there are only people (but) You ask her about her church, and you’re Catholic, and she’ll say, I think that’s a good place to start.”
Comedians Kevin James, Shayne Smith and Jim Gaffigan, all of whom I consider practicing Catholics. (Fox News)
“There are (also) very rational reasons beyond history. For example, I read this book called “Dominion,” which is about a guy who started writing a book about how religion got into chaos and turned Western civilization into a mess. The world is a worse place for people.
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But it was in his search for a natural explanation that Smith would discover the supernatural:
“I had an experience where I was forced into the Catholic Church for no reason, and I had no education about Catholicism (at the time), so I didn’t understand the Catholic Church in general. I was Identify Christianity And a little bit of a Protestant leaning. But I walked into a Catholic church one afternoon – I finally just gave in to the compulsion – and I had an experience with the Heavenly Mother (Mary). “
Smith went on to describe a “very brief but incredibly powerful” experience when he believed it was a psychedelic vision of a woman “based on bright white light.”
“She reached out and touched me,” he said. “And I started crying, I cried.”
Smith is no stranger to growing up in his Trailer Park. He went on to tell Fox News Digital that his “incredibly surreal” experience with Mary’s mother immediately helped heal his relationship with his mother.
“A lot of things changed for me in that moment. I suddenly felt like a lot of my issues with women had been healed. I felt like my relationship with my mother had healed, and all these other things happened.”
Smith decided to devote his life to Jesus, so he left the church.
It started when he discovered Marianne Phantom.
“Only then did I discover that Marian apparitions were something that happened to people, indeed, to thousands of people at times,” he added. “Therefore, there is reason to be a Catholic rationale One reason, and then another, was my supernatural experience with Mary.”
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Comedian-turned-Catholic Shayne Smith performed in front of a captivating crowd of Catholics at the annual SEEK conference in Washington, D.C., in early January (emphasis)
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When asked why he believed other comedians might lean toward Catholicism, Smith gave Fox News Digital a surprising answer: suffering.
“I think there’s a sense of humor… it’s all about suffering. Catholics understand suffering very well. They’re not afraid of suffering,” he asserted.
“In fact, they often invite it too much, and then we get the concept of Catholic guilt, which shouldn’t be a thing. We’re the only religion with built-in guilt. Confess, fools,” he joked. “But, yes, I think it does relate to suffering. I think Catholics have a pain about suffering and are very aware that their suffering is important and they’re not afraid of it. They kind of face it and I think that’s with a sense of humor important part.”
Smith went on to describe his struggles as an atheist but successful comedian and podcast host. He said that despite his appearance and previous life of crime, the Catholic community welcomed him with open arms – even though his public conversion resulted in thousands of followers.
He told Fox News Digital that after starting his stand-up career as a man who rejected religion, he was “essentially canceled” by his former fan base once he publicly converted to Catholicism.
“I got death threats. People were mailing things to my mother, like crazy. I was like, ‘Okay, well, this is the end of my career.’ It didn’t matter, because faith was more important than money. ” he continued. “But over time, it’s reversed. Now I’m more popular than ever.”
Smith went on to say that his early encounters with fans during Meet and Green, when he was first gaining popularity, would cause him anxiety due to the inappropriate nature of their interactions, explaining that he was being “touched by women.” and “being harassed by a drunken person.”
However, his fandom has changed dramatically since cleaning up his act.
“Now, I do meet and greets and people ask me to pray the rosary with them. Women are so kind and gentle to me. People are sending me handwritten letters of encouragement and everything becomes more lovely and light and well, I’m, Blown away. “
Not only did Smith clean up his act in the public sense, but he also set a record with Fox News digital numbers: He’s a self-proclaimed clean comedian start up.
“Because I have a Catholic sensibility, my comedy is digestible to anyone,” he said. “I’m Catholic and that’s a central part of my identity and the most important part of who I am. But, as far as I’m concerned As far as comedy goes, I’m just a storyteller and I want to be as funny as possible for the most people.”
One of Smith’s most recent performances was in Washington, D.C., at Seek ’25, an annual Catholic conference Hosted by Focus Group. There, Smith performed a simple routine to what he described as a captivating crowd on opening night.
“I recommend seeking out anyone of any age. This is catholic cartoons,“He was joking. “I went searching and I saw that Catholicism, while deeply communal… (God) wants us to come to Him together… He wants us to care for and love each other, and we ourselves the way He loves us, that It is infinite. “
Brock Martin, son of the founder of Focus, spoke with Seek Digital about the organization’s mission.
“Whenever you focus on working with someone…the first experience will be the experience of God’s love and His plan for you,” Martin said. “It’s an amazing reality that the God of the universe (makes the universe The same people who know, know your name, have a plan, want you to thrive, want to be with you…”
Smith said that in acknowledging God’s plan for his life, he realized he could not keep Catholicism to himself.
“I realized that just staying home and making my faith personal, or just reading the Bible, or just being Catholic and keeping it to myself… wasn’t the point. It wasn’t ultimately a fulfilling and meaningful experience for me Needed,” the comedian concluded.
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To hear more from Shayne Smith, fans can check out his new “Ghost Stories” special angel studio Let’s do comedy.
