Comedy has come a long way and produced different styles of presentation. Jeff Dunham has managed to carve out a fairly comfortable niche for himself as a comedian and ventriloquist. The style he brings to the table has certainly brought him some well-deserved attention and even earned him roles in some really great shows. He has appeared in Sonny With a Chance, Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, and Comedy Central Presents. Discover how he started his career, what he has accomplished and how he met his family.
Early life and how Jeff Dunham Rose achieved fame
Before we look at his rise to fame, it is important to know that he was born in Dallas, Texas, on April 18, 1962. He was actually not raised by his biological parents but was adopted by Howard and Joyce Dunham. Jeff was only 3 months old when he came into the household where his father worked as a real estate appraiser and his mother was a housewife. He happened to be the only child in their upscale Presbyterian home.
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Jeff Dunham started ventriloquism when he was only 8 years old. His parents are to be thanked for this, as they gave him a doll and a handy how-to album for Christmas. It is safe to say that this was the point when he decided to become the best ventriloquist ever. Jeff became a regular guest at the Vent Haven ConVENTion, an annual international meeting of ventriloquists, as early as sixth grade. So he could continue to work on his ventriloquist skills. He stayed with ventriloquism throughout his studies and even performed while he was at Baylor University.
It was not until 1988 that he moved to L.A. to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. Not long after that, his appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson catapulted him to the next level. After a handful of appearances on the show, as well as a series of gigs, he solidified into a hit.
Financial Situation and Career Successes
To fully appreciate the extent of his success, there is a lot to see. Jeff is quite successful in comedy, and even more so in ventriloquism. He has a number of successful shows and among them are a total of six comedy central shows. These are them, Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map, Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself, Jeff Dunham: “The Spark of Madness”, Jeff Dunham: “Minding the Monsters”, Jeff Dunham: “Controlled Chaos” and “Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special”.
Impressively, the Very Special Christmas Special was the most-watched central comedy show in history. Jeff played the lead role in the Jeff Dunham show, which was not so well received. In general, he is a well-known comedian who really managed to make his mark on the industry. He was named “America’s Favorite Comedian” by Slate.com and is also one of the most successful comedians in North America.
Even more impressive is the fact that he is the top-selling American comic in Europe. It’s not just words and titles, he also has tangible successes to show for himself. Jeff has impressively sold over four million DVDs and over 7 million dollars in merchandise. In addition, his videos have had over 350 million hits on YouTube. All this and more has helped him accumulate an outstanding net worth of $45 million.
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Facts about Jeff Dunham’s wife and children
To get a little more personal: Jeff has been married twice. In 1992, he was with Paige Brown, and in 1994, they made a life-long commitment. He even went so far as to adopt their daughter Bree. The following year they had their first child together and named her Ashlyn. Two years later they had another daughter and named her Kenna. Unfortunately, the pressure of the job and all his travels destroyed their marriage and it ended in 2008.
In 2009 he started a relationship with Audrey Murdick, who happens to be a competitive bodybuilder, a nutritionist, and a personal trainer. Two years later they got engaged and married the following year. In 2015, the news surfaced that they had twin boys, and in October of the same year, Jack Steven and James Jeffrey were born.