Trae Crowder

{{Short description|American comedian and political pundit}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}} {{Use American English|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox writer | name = Trae Crowder | image = Trae Crowder 2023.jpg | caption = Crowder in 2023 | birth_place = [[Celina, Tennessee]], U.S. | genre = [[Comedian]] | website = {{URL|traecrowder.com}} }} '''Trae Crowder''' is an American comedian and co-author of ''The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin' Dixie Outta the Dark'' <ref name=MSNBC>{{cite news|title=Meet 'The Liberal Redneck' Trae Crowder|url=http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/meet-the-liberal-redneck-trae-crowder-679646275769|access-date=24 August 2016|publisher=MSNBC|date=4 May 2016}}</ref> and ''Round Here and Over Yonder: A Front-Porch Travel Guide by Two Progressive Hillbillies (Yes, That's a Thing)''.<ref name=PRNewsWire>{{cite web|title=Southern comedian duo Trae Crowder and Corey Ryan Forrester to Release Round Here and Over Yonder with Harper Horizon on September 19, 2023|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-comedian-duo-trae-crowder-and-corey-ryan-forrester-to-release-round-here-and-over-yonder-with-harper-horizon-on-september-19-2023-301867514.html|access-date=23 October 2023|website=PRNewsWire|date=29 June 2023}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Crowder grew up in rural [[Celina, Tennessee]], near the Tennessee/Kentucky border.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The liberal redneck manifesto : draggin' Dixie outta the dark|last=Crowder|first=Trae|others=Forrester, Corey Ryan,, Morgan, Drew|isbn=978-1501160387|edition= First Atria books hardcover|location=New York|oclc=957339104|date = 4 October 2016}}</ref> He attended [[Tennessee Tech]], where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2008<ref>{{Cite web|title=TTU hosts 'Liberal Redneck' Tuesday at 11 a.m.|url=https://www.crossville-chronicle.com/news/lifestyles/ttu-hosts-liberal-redneck-tuesday-at-11-a-m/article_6e48b8de-a9f1-11e7-9b5f-0339391c9862.html|access-date=2022-02-13|website=Crossville Chronicle|date=5 October 2017 |language=en}}</ref> and an M.B.A. in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Colurso|first=Mary|date=2017-01-19|title='Liberal Redneck' Trae Crowder talks Trump, videos, more|url=https://www.al.com/entertainment/2017/01/we_check_in_with_liberal_redne.html|access-date=2022-02-13|website=AL.com|language=en}}</ref> He was the first person in his family to graduate from college.

== Personal life == In 2010, he moved to the [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], area with his wife, Katie, and their two young sons.<ref>{{cite news|title=Knox 'Liberal Redneck' Trae Crowder lands sitcom about his life|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/columnists/chuck-campbell/2016/12/01/liberal-redneck-trae-crowder-sitcom-fox-knoxville/94782302/|access-date=1 January 2017|publisher=Knoxville News Sentinel|date=1 December 2016}}</ref> In 2017 they moved to Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Moglen|first=Laurel|title=The Liberal Redneck, Trae Crowder, Leaves Dixie for Hollywood|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelmoglen/2017/03/01/the-liberal-redneck-trae-crowder-leaves-dixie-for-hollywood/|access-date=2022-02-13|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>

== Political views == In an interview for the [[MSNBC]] program ''[[The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell]]'' in May 2016, Crowder attributed his [[Liberalism in the United States|liberal]] political views to the "abject poverty" of his family during his childhood in rural [[Middle Tennessee]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell |url=https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=991433627578150&extid=6UYco9gQyQCx1y7e |website=Facebook.com |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref>

Another major influence on his progressive social beliefs was his close relationship with his gay uncle. Crowder identifies as [[agnostic]], as he explained that he had personally never "been particularly down with Jesus" because of the conservative social views on [[homosexuality]] held by most [[Christianity|Christian]] denominations, especially in [[Clay County, Tennessee|the area where he was raised]].<ref name=MSNBC/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2016/11/27/503345751/liberal-rednecks-are-killing-southern-stereotypes-with-comedy | title='Liberal Rednecks' Are Killing Southern Stereotypes with Comedy | website=NPR.org }}</ref>

== Career == After business school, Crowder worked for the [[U.S. Department of Energy]] for six years.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Berg, Madeline|date=14 October 2016|title=The Liberal Redneck: How Left-Wing Politics And A Southern Twang Helped Trae Crowder Go Viral|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2016/10/14/the-liberal-redneck-how-left-wing-politics-and-a-southern-twang-helped-trae-crowder-go-viral/#2e3bf9df49b6|website=Forbes}}</ref>

=== The Liberal Redneck === [[File:Trae Crowder 2015.jpg|thumb|right|Crowder in 2015]] In his mid-twenties, Crowder got his start as a [[Stand-Up Comedy|stand-up comedian]] by performing at an open mic night at Side Splitters comedy club (since closed) in Knoxville, Tennessee.<ref name="Gallagher">{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=Danny |title=Trae Crowder Says The Liberal Redneck Is Just Him Being Himself 'Times 11' |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/trae-crowder-known-for-his-liberal-redneck-character-gets-real-about-politics-ahead-of-dallas-show-11759230 |access-date=2020-08-26 |publisher=Dallas Observer |date=2019-09-30}}</ref> He went on to perform there for three and a half years.<ref name="Crocker">{{cite news |last1=Crocker |first1=Brittany |title=Unfiltered Q&A with Tennessee's 'Liberal Redneck,' Trae Crowder |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2017/10/05/unfiltered-interview-tennessee-liberal-redneck-trae-crowder-wellred-comedy-tour/704553001/ |access-date=2020-08-26 |publisher=Knoxville News Sentinel |date=2017-10-05}}</ref> After this he evolved his main character, known as The Liberal Redneck, and began posting his trademark comedic monologues online. As of August 2020, his videos have garnered more than 17 million cumulative views on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Trae Crowder |url=https://www.youtube.com/c/TraeCrowderLiberalRedneck/about |website=YouTube |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref> After his Liberal Redneck videos went viral, he appeared in numerous media outlets, including [[MSNBC]] and [[The Huffington Post]]. In June 2016, Crowder began a stint as the official "Hillbilly-in-Chief" for the ''[[New York Daily News]]'', where he posted politically oriented videos for the newspaper's [[YouTube]] channel.<ref name=Campbell>{{cite news|title='Liberal Redneck' Trae Crowder lands 'hillbilly' gig for N.Y. Daily News|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/entertainment/pop-culture/liberal-redneck-trae-crowder-lands-hillbilly-gig-for-ny-daily-news-34e1fe70-aae7-637e-e053-0100007ff-382527691.html|access-date=1 January 2017|publisher=Knoxville News Sentinel|date=10 June 2016}}</ref> Fourteen videos from 2016 are still available online.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trae Crowder NY Daily News |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAHxC-xA2-gXwPAog0r7GxsW4JtPpaA9I |website=YouTube |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref>

On 11 November 2016, Crowder was a guest on the [[HBO]] series, ''[[Real Time with Bill Maher]]'', where he discussed his book and gave his "[[redneck]]" take on the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]], held three days earlier.<ref>{{cite news|title=Real Time with Bill Maher: November 11, 2016 (HBO) |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oMJvbP3yzMk|access-date=1 January 2017|publisher=YouTube|date=11 November 2016}}</ref> He appeared on the program again on March 9, 2018, and then again on September 18, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Season 16 |url=https://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/2018 |website=Real Time with Bill Maher |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Patten |first1=Dominic |title=Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Was "Just Awesome," Bill Maher Says; RBG's Death News Came As 'Real Time' Was Taping Tonight |url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/ruth-bader-ginsburg-death-bill-maher-reaction-live-jane-fonda-michael-cohen-hbo-1234579993/ |access-date=2020-09-21 |publisher=Deadline |date=2020-09-18}}</ref>

In 2020, following the cancellation of live events due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Crowder began hosting a twice-weekly political show on [[Facebook Live]] called "The Evening Skews" with co-host Mark Agee.<ref name=Clouse>{{cite news |last1=Clouse |first1=Allie |title=WellRED comedy trio jokes about family life, fascism amid pandemic in new live show |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/2020/08/05/how-watch-wellred-cornteen-comedy-livestreamed-show-amid-covid-19/5547689002/ |access-date=2020-08-26 |publisher=Knoxville News Sentinel |date=2020-08-05}}</ref>

When asked whether The Liberal Redneck is a character he's playing, Crowder has said, "The way I always describe that is, it's a character in that it's just me cranked up to 11 basically. It all comes from an authentic place. I have a very stereotypical redneck background and upbringing and I am very liberal politically but I don't act that way all the time. I'm not hollering my opinions in people's face and stuff. I really do think and believe all that shit, though."<ref name="Gallagher" />

=== WellRED Comedy Tour === In 2016, Crowder began touring with fellow comedians and writing partners Drew Morgan and Corey Ryan Forrester, calling themselves the WellRED Comedy Tour. The first leg of their tour sold out, leading them to book additional nights in some cities.<ref name=Campbell /> As of August 2020, the group was still touring, but fall 2020 dates were postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Wellred Comedy |url=https://wellredcomedy.com/ |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref> The trio held a virtual show via Facebook Live on August 7, 2020.<ref name=Clouse />

=== Television and film projects === On 1 January 2017, Crowder publicly announced through his [[Twitter]] account, "My wife's packin our butter tubs for our move to [[Los Angeles|LA]]. I'll be workin on my @FOXTV sitcom Skeew!"<ref>{{cite web |title=@traecrowder |url=https://twitter.com/traecrowder/status/815716999422562304 |website=Twitter.com |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref> The show was to be a [[single-camera setup|single camera]] sitcom starring Crowder as his Liberal Redneck character. In the following television season, Crowder made a deal with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] for another single-camera sitcom based on his life. And it was reported in November 2018 that Crowder had made yet another TV deal, again with ABC, but this time also with Crowder's comedy partners Morgan and Forrester for a sitcom the three would executive produce, write, and star in, "about three best friends in the rural south and the women in their lives."<ref>{{cite news |title=ABC Buys Rural Comedy Starring Trae Crowder, Corey Forrester & Drew Morgan |url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/abc-buys-liberal-redneck-friends-comedy-trae-crowder-corey-forrester-drew-morgan-1202501704/ |access-date=2020-08-26 |publisher=Deadline |date=2018-11-15}}</ref>

Crowder also co-wrote and produced an hour-long documentary titled ''Inherent Good'', featuring Crowder and former presidential candidate [[Andrew Yang]], about [[universal basic income]]. The film was released in January 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the film |url=https://www.inherentgood.com/about |website=Inherent Good |access-date=2020-08-26}}</ref>

Crowder released his special, "Trash Daddy," on March 13, 2025.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VULUOEy-Ro8 |title=Trae Crowder {{!}} Trash Daddy (Full Comedy Special) |date=2025-03-13 |last=800 Pound Gorilla Media |access-date=2025-03-18 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

=== Books === * ''The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin' Dixie Outta the Dark'' (2016)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/liberal-redneck-manifesto-coming-bookshelves-article-1.2725829|title='The Liberal Redneck Manifesto' coming to bookshelves|work=New York Daily News|access-date=2016-08-25}}</ref> * ''Round Here and Over Yonder: A Front-Porch Travel Guide by Two Progressive Hillbillies (Yes, That's a Thing)'' (2023)<ref name=PRNewsWire>{{cite web|title=Southern comedian duo Trae Crowder and Corey Ryan Forrester to Release Round Here and Over Yonder with Harper Horizon on September 19, 2023|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-comedian-duo-trae-crowder-and-corey-ryan-forrester-to-release-round-here-and-over-yonder-with-harper-horizon-on-september-19-2023-301867514.html|access-date=23 October 2023|website=PRNewsWire|date=29 June 2023}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{YouTube|c=UCTHsQd-vRXK1bp4vpifl6yA}} * {{Twitter | traecrowder}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder, Trae}} [[Category:21st-century American comedians]] [[Category:American agnostics]] [[Category:American male writers]] [[Category:Comedians from Tennessee]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Clay County, Tennessee]] [[Category:Tennessee Democrats]] [[Category:Tennessee Technological University alumni]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]