Billy Wayne Davis – Smart Comedy
Feb. 27th & 28th, 7pm and 10:15pm
Five minutes after Billy Wayne Davis wraps his set at the Mic Drop in San Diego, we’re sitting in the venue’s gold-painted back room playing two-truths-and-a-lie. It seems like an unconventional way to start an interview with a seasoned comedian, but then again, Billy Wayne built his career on finding humor in unexpected places.
Billy Wayne spent the first part of the show poking fun at the Goldroom at the Mic Drop in Clairemont Mesa before looking closer to realize there were skeleton keys hanging above from an ornate curved repurposed bargeboard over the stage – all painted gold.
He whispered with a smirk with a Buffalo Bill vibe, “I feel like no one knows we’re even back here”. As his joke was interrupted by the distance sounds of fighter jets, undoubtedly making their way back to Miramar, Billy Wayne called-out the type of plane we just heard, letting us know he was into aircraft.
That’s San Diego for you. Military bases. Melting-pot. Beaches. Mexican Food. Homeless. Rock-n-Roll Marathon. Baseball. Some rich folk and a whole bunch of people trying to survive in a beautiful city we don’t want to leave.
Billy Wayne Davis has a 2022 Hulu Special, Testify. But you can also see it across other apps. I caught my showing on Amazon Prime. Fun fact, Billy Wayne was a writer on Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. You can also see him holding a microphone in one of the scenes. The 44-year-old Comedian was born and raised in small-town Crossville, Tennessee which has doubled in size to 12,000 population since he lived there. I happened to live in Crossville too, but Billy Wayne didn’t know that.
I declared, “I’ll go first: I lived in Crossville, Tennessee. I had an uncle who was shot. And I speak French.”
“I’m gonna say, you didn’t Crossville.” Billy Wayne guessed wrong. Surprised to learn I had lived in his small town, we banter and crack small town jokes.
“So, I’ll do mine.” He pipes in! “I had a wedding in Las Vegas. I had a wedding in my backyard. I’ve had a wedding at Methodist Church.”
“Backyard is the lie.” I guessed wrong too.
He never wanted to get married in a church. A Hulu Special in a church, yes. Married, no. Billy Wayne’s special Testify was filmed in a church and it’s clearly resonated with audiences beyond Tennessee. My daughter loved it and keeps telling people about Billy Wayne’s uncle who had a ‘Jesus Hand’ (you’ll wanna watch Testify yourself to get the rest of the story). She had one burning question she made me promise to ask:
“My daughter wants to know how old you are. We can’t find it online.”
“I’m 44. Born in 1981.” He divulges.
“We are only one year apart.” I comment back.
The coincidences keep stacking up. As we compare notes on Crossville, Billy Wayne mentions the only other job he loved besides showbusiness was golf course maintenance at Deer Creek Country Club. “I lived in Deer Creek,” I tell him, watching his eyebrows raise.
“How long did you live in Crossville?” I asked.
“I was born there. I left summer after my senior year. I’ve never returned to live, except for one time, about a month. I knew everybody there. My dad was a high school football coach. He was the first coach at Stone High School… I knew everyone.” He reminisces.
It’s clear that small-town roots shaped Billy Wayne, but I’m curious about what drew him specifically to comedy as his way out and his way forward.
“Psychologist say we use humor for different reasons. We know serotonin and dopamine are released when we laugh. Freud says comedy is one of the best adaptive coping mechanisms. And it’s reported that introverted people can use comedy to break out of their shell. But, there’s the other side of comedy: wearing masks, dark humor. People say comedians are suicidal. What’s your take on all that? And why did you get into comedy?” I dig deeper.
“I think it’s all of what you just described. Comedy is a wonderful communication tool. I remember around middle school I was sent to leadership stuff because the adults figured-out when I talked, the others ones listened. I was kind-of shy, so I wasn’t thrilled with that.” Billy Wayne answered.
“All the adults figured that out.” I joked.
“I heard someone say, when you lose your sense of humor, you lose your ability to communicate your point. And that, to me is very true. Of course, there are anomalies: if you’re very passionate and you strike a chord with people. Passion can get a point across. But very rarely does passion alone work.” He expounds.
“When someone’s laughing, they are relaxed. When they are relaxed, they aren’t threatened. When they aren’t threatened, they can hear what you’re saying. They are more willing to hear what you are saying – to let in what you’re saying. Comedy is a tool, like any other form. You can de-escalate situations. But comedy can be like water or fire; good or bad. But like anything else, if your intentions are mostly good, then good things can come of them. But comedy can get you in trouble.”
“Tell us more about this perspective with people.” I ask.
“I found comedy is one of the truest ways people reveal themselves; by what they laugh about. Not all people realize that. Comedians realize this about people, well – not all comedians, but the better ones. Some people have a mean sense of humor, or a thoughtful sense of humor. Some people see the funny everywhere, and those are usually the ones drawn to comedy. Cause it’s all kinda funny; it’s super revealing and fun.” He replies.
“Do you do comedy for a living or for fun?” Wanting to know his logistics.
“Oh, this is it! I quit college for this.” Billy Wayne replies.
“Well, you’re good at it.”
“I better be! I’ve been doing it for twenty years. I’m not great at advertising, but there are cool new tools for that. I’ve made a nice living telling jokes my whole adult life and I am very grateful that I get to do it.”
It turns out we were both terrible at two-truths-and-a-lie, but we’re pretty good at finding the truth in conversation. And maybe that’s the point—sometimes the best interviews, like the best comedy, happen when you stop trying to guess the right answer and just listen to what someone’s really saying.
Billy Wayne Davis continues his tour with upcoming shows at Mic Drop Comedy in Plano February 5, 2026 and stops in Alaska, New Orleans, Denver, Portland, Rapid City, and beyond. For tour dates, visit bwdtour.com or micdropcomedyplano.com.
Recommended for you
