Popularly known as the clean comic for his use of almost no obscene or profane, Jim Gaffigan has had a very long and fruitful career as a stand-up comedian in his comedic slang. His brand of comedy borders on fatherhood, family, food, observation and laziness. In his latest work Noble Monkey he took things to another level, showing openness and transparency by touching on his personal life, his wife’s health and the future of his career.
Jim Gaffigan’s biography
James Christopher Gaffigan was born on July 7,1966 in Elgin, Illinois to father, Michael A. Gaffigan and mother, Marsha Mitchell. His father, the first in his family to go to college and become a banker, urged all of his children to do the same and choose a career that guaranteed job security.
However, little Jim Gaffigan at the age of 5 told his parents that he wanted to be an actress (well, he meant an actor). The young gaffigan was hooked on the comedy he watched as a teenager on Saturday Night Live. He was an athlete at La LumiereSchool, La PorteIndiana, where he played on the school soccer team. He then attended Purdue University, where he only worked for a year before transferring to Georgetown University School of Business. He also played on the varsity football team before graduating in 1988.
Leaving school life behind, Jim Gaffigan moved to New York in 1990 to pursue his dream of becoming a comedian. This ambition was inspired by David Letterman. His first job was at an advertising company, where he worked during the day and took comedy classes at night. He was pushed and prodded by his classmate to attend a seminar that ended with a live performance.
Then began his move towards stand-up comedyer fell madly in love with. He experimented on different comedy brands without much success. Jim Gaffigan eventually found a niche in television advertising that became quite profitable for the budding comedian. He developed his trademark zero-profanity tone, which focused on being a father, food, and being lazy, using various voices in the third person. His Hot Pocket got him noticed and a spot on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1993.
After that, Gaffigan landed roles in concerts and films such as The 70’s Show, Sex and the City (1998), 3 AM (1999) and Ed (2000). Jim also appeared in Just for Fun in Quebec and Canada. He starred in Love Guru alongside Mike Meyers and in 3 episodes of Law and Order.
Jim Gaffigan’s comedy albums have received more than a handful of Grammy Award nominations. Although Jim hasn’t won one yet, he is undoubtedly one of the best comedians of his time.
Wealth (income and earnings)
According to Celebrity, the American comedian’s net worth is listed at $16 million. Jim was also ranked among the richest comedians by Forbes for making so much money from his world tour on Contagious. It attracted an impressive crowd of viewers in cities like Oslo and Helsinki around the world. Also, his role as Colonel Sanders in a KFC commercial is an endorsement that has fattened the comedian’s paycheck over time.
Jim Gaffigan’s Family Life, Wife and Children
The Clean Comic is married to Jeannie Gaffigan, an American actress, producer and screenwriter. She was the producer of The Jim Gaffigan Show . They married in 2003 and have five children together. Their children’s names are Marre, Katie Louise, Jack, Patrick and Michael and they belong to the Catholic denomination. Jim jokingly refers to his wife as a Shia Catholic for her very strong devotion to the religion.
The Gaffigan family is close-knit, with the whole family traveling together on Jim’s comedy tours and spending time together on weekends and Sundays. The Jim Gaffigan Show follows Jim and Jeannie’s family life as they raise their children. Jeannie was diagnosed with choroid plexus papilloma (a type of brain tumor).
She initially had dizziness and headaches, which she dismissed as a problem stemming from the stress of her profession. But after a doctor’s visit, the couple realized that Jeannie had an apple-sized tumor that was affecting her hearing. However, the tumor was surgically removed after a successful nine-hour operation. In his 2018 release Noble Monkey, Jim shares how he and Jeannie tackled their health struggles with comedy.