Jim Gaffigan Brings Sharp Storytelling to Little Rock Show

by Aprille Hanson-Spivey
Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing comedian Jim Gaffigan live knows his latest “The Fun Tour” is aptly named. The two-time Emmy-winning, six-time Grammy nominated comedian, writer, actor and producer brought his brand of “clean” humor to Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark., March 31, and it was so much fun. 

Purposely putting the term “clean” in quotations, purely for the amount of diarrhea jokes. And while that may sound like a juvenile concept for a renowned comedian, he’s probably the only comedian who can make me bust out laughing at several bathroom jokes, the best of which being — “Why is diarrhea so hard to spell, but so easy to get?” 

And why does it work? Because one of Gaffigan’s signature traits on stage is acknowledging the sometimes absurdity of his jokes or the reality that everyone might not be on board, using a high-pitched whisper to say things like “That was terrible” or “Is he going to keep doing diarrhea jokes?” and then subsequently launching into another one. It inevitably wins everyone over. It’s his keen understanding of a crowd and the nuances in people’s taste in humor that makes him unique. He’s not a comedian that’s trying to make people angry or be edgy, but has no problem acknowledging that some people might not get it and that’s OK, because he’ll make you laugh in the end no matter what. 

His set opened with his 16-year-old son Jack, on his spring break, introducing opener Todd Glass. It was clear that the teenager was nervous — who wouldn’t be? — and dropped the most cuss words you’ll ever hear at a Gaffigan show while trying to remember his bit. The crowd was absolutely supportive, which was great. He rebounded though, coming back on stage to introduce Gaffigan, who thanked the crowd for helping his son get some “calluses” and explained his son is one of the funniest people he knows. While some were surprised he’d put his teenager in that position — apparently my husband heard people grumbling about it after the show, ridiculous — he did what any father would do for their child trying to learn a skill, and that’s kicking him out of the nest. If Jack truly wants to be a standup, it’s good he’s getting a taste of it now because I can’t imagine the stress of making people laugh. It’s rare to get an opportunity like that. 

Opener Glass had some laugh-out-loud moments in his set, particularly when he took on the “back in my day crowd,” explaining how things were not always so great. He pointed out how people will say “Back in my day, a man opened a door for a lady,” while retorting, “Well, they also didn’t want women to vote.” His set wasn’t nearly as polished as Gaffigan’s, but he was a satisfying opener. 

Gaffigan came out of the gate acknowledging how great it was to be back on stage after isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He joked about how he’s noticed that everyone cared while we were in the pandemic and how everyone no longer cares, but we’re still technically in a pandemic. He certainly tapped into the absurdity of human nature amid a global pandemic and dipped his toes into the vaccination debate. It was clear he’s not a fan of anti-vaxxing, but acknowledged his parents weren’t vaccinated either. Of course, they are both long dead — again, one of the few comedians who can pull that joke off in a non-offensive way. 

Launching into funeral jokes, Gaffigan pointed out the odd rituals surrounding funerals, some of the funniest jokes of the night, despite the dark subject. Wanting to “burst into flames” and be cremated at the funeral might seem outlandish, but damn if I didn’t laugh hard. 

Gaffigan’s bits surrounded his family of course, discussing an hilarious hot air balloon excursion with his daughters in Mexico, making the creaking sound of the wicker basket and how it was a miracle they even survived. 

A Catholic, Gaffigan is well-known for spotlighting humor in Christianity, but doing it in a way that every Christian can feel comfortable laughing at. He likened God’s 10 plagues in Egypt to dropping his 10 greatest hits albums, speaking from God’s perspective and how he was “in a weird place” with the plague of frogs. The only portion of the night that the arena didn’t fill with laughter was when he went a little too Catholic for the likely Bible Belt crowd. He talked about popular Marian sightings (documented apparitions of the Virgin Mary, a common belief in Catholicism) and how odd it was that Mary would appear to the people with the least abilities to accomplish her mission – like St. Juan Diego, who was a child when Mary appeared to him and asked him to build a Church. As a Catholic, I thought it was hysterical, but I’d imagine those jokes would play better in predominantly Catholic states. 

​The roughly hour-long Gaffigan set flew by, a testament to his sharp storytelling and ability to keep everyone laughing and entertained. After seeing him live, it’s easy to see how he continues to be one of the funniest comedians today.