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| Jeff Allen |
Keynote Fee: $10,500* *Fee Note Travels From: TN |
Jeff Allen Biography
Just who is Jeff Allen... and how on earth did a former atheist from Chicago’s South Side,
who’s crawled across the grittiest comedy club floors in America become the world’s funniest,
most inspiring comedian?
Jeff Allen has been doing comedy for four decades and his work has been seen on every cable
comedy show in the U.S. including Comedy Central’s Premium Blend and VH1’s Standup
Spotlight. His one-hour special, Happy Wife, Happy Life aired on the Odyssey Channel, Family
Net and the Worship Network. He was a featured comedian at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
in Aspen and the Montreal Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival, the most prestigious
comedy Festivals in the world. He also headlined his own national comedy tour, Jeff Allen &
Friends: Funny People of Faith and is now on the Apostles of Comedy Tour.
Jeff Allen is one of the few comedians who can “kill ‘em” at a casino in Vegas and then bring
down the house at the Baptist Youth Missionary Board... doing the exact same act. As Jerry
Seinfeld said, “Funny is funny. Clean humor, if it’s good, works anywhere.” Jeff says he
doesn’t need to change a thing from one venue to the other – although frequently his church appearances include inspiring testimony about his battle with the bottle and finding himself.
The words may not change, but what has changed radically is the man who delivers them.
It’s hard to believe that the Jeff Allen, who works at Church and faith venues around the
country, is the same Jeff Allen who used to get mail addressed to Mr. Psycho. Jeff wasn’t
always a happy, well-adjusted comedian. At one point, he was a victim of alcohol and drug
abuse, living a depressing life and struggling to get by from day to day. Finally, the threat of
losing the one person who had been his touchstone through those struggles made him turn to
a new source of strength.
Jeff met Tami in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She was a club waitress. They fell in love and got
married, but as the drinking and drugs slowly blew Jeff’s career apart, their relationship
suffered as well. The low point came when, desperate to feed his family, he couldn’t even get
a job delivering pizza. After years of rage, sadness and pain, Jeff and Tami decided to call it
quits. With divorce papers signed, they were 10 minutes from the courthouse when they
decided to try again. With two children, and barely any career left, Jeff hit rock bottom,
turned to Alcoholics Anonymous, recovered himself, and through generous help from a total
stranger, found comfort in God.
Jeff says, “The single greatest gift I get from my relationship with Jesus is peace. For the first
time in my life, I am at peace in my own skin. From that peace, I am able to do what I love to
do – make people laugh. I’ve been a comic for 20+ years, and right now I’m having the time of
my life.”
Today, Jeff Allen is on top of the world. At the peak of his comedic powers, he co-starred in
and produced his own sitcom pilot with some of the most talented people in Los Angeles, is
now a regular weekly performer on Bill Gaither’s Homecoming Tour, and has a family he
adores. Jeff also was a featured guest on the 700 Club and performed at the CBN Christmas
Party for Pat Robertson. He has performed at a numerous churches including: Saddleback
Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, California; Southeast Christian Church in
Louisville, Kentucky; and Northwoods Community Church in Peoria, Illinois.
Jeff Allen was born in Saulk Village, Illinois in 1956. He lives in Nashville with his wife Tami
and two children (although in his act there are three). His oldest son served with the 101st
Airborne in Iraq.
Titles
Happy Wife, Happy Life
Jeff Allen's Happy Wife, Happy Life message of a marriage gone wrong and redeemed has given laughter and encouragement to millions of people. Jeff’s comedy drives home the humor in everyday family life and the joy derived from a healthy marriage.
Clients
Testimonials
AV Needs
Long cord and microphone and illumination(follow-spot preferred)
Podium Intro