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Ron White | |
|---|---|
 White in 2010 | |
| Born | (1956-12-18)December 18, 1956 (age 68) Fritch, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Medium | Stand-up |
| Genres | Country comedy,observational comedy, satire,blue comedy |
| Website | www |
Ronald Dee White (born December 18, 1956)[1] is an Americanstand-up comedian,actor andauthor, best known as a charter member of theBlue Collar Comedy Tour. Nicknamed "Tater Salad", he is the author of the bookI Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability, which appeared on theNew York Times Best Seller list.
White was born inFritch, Texas on December 18, 1956.[1][2] He joined theU.S. Navy at age 17 and served on the auxiliary rescue and salvage shipUSSConserver near the end of theVietnam War era.[3] Before pursuing comedy professionally, White briefly lived in Mexico, where he bought a pottery factory.[4]
From January 2000 through March 2003, White toured withJeff Foxworthy,Bill Engvall, andLarry the Cable Guy as part of theBlue Collar Comedy Tour – a show that sold out across theUnited States in over 90 cities and grossed over $15 million.[1] He made seven guest appearances onBlue Collar TV. In 2005, TheWB Television Network aired the pilot forThe Ron White Show, avariety show that combined a number of celebritycameos,cartoons, and sketches. He taped several episodes ofThe Gong Show with Dave Attell as one of the celebrity judges. White has appeared in the TV showsKath & Kim,Reno 911!,12 Miles of Bad Road, the filmsSex and the City 2 andHorrible Bosses, and a cameo in a Rascal Flatts music video, "Why Wait".[5] He was one of the executive producers of the 2013 documentaryBridegroom.[6]
White was known for drinkingScotch as part of his act, as well as smoking cigars or cigarettes. He stated during hisYou Can't Fix Stupid show, "Somebody asked what I was drinking. If the company that made the stuff I was drinking was paying me, I'd have it in their bottle and not mine. But it's the kind of scotch that people drink that are going to die penniless. It's good though!"[7] In 2009, Comedy Central released White's stand up DVDBehavioral Problems.
In 2010, Ron White and producer Michael Blakey formed Organica Music Group (OMG), a label that promotes both emerging and established musicians and comedians. OMG indicated that it would release all of White's future DVDs and CDs.[8] In November 2015, White announced that he was running forPresident of the United States as anindependent candidate in2016.[9] In 2016, White starred as Phil, veteran road manager for the fictional Staton-House Band, in the Showtime seriesRoadies.
In January 2020 White announced plans to retire from stand-up at the end of the year, with his last show on New Year's Eve 2020, the conclusion of his slated nationwide tour. He said he planned to retire in Texas. However theCOVID-19 pandemic interrupted his touring schedule for 15 months. White's return to stand-up began in Florida,one of the only states open at the time, where he worked 25-minute shows. When White returned to touring full-time in September 2021 he planned to continue his final tour and retire in the fall 2022. However White continues to tour with dates extending into 2025.[10]
In 2025, White played fictionalNASCAR driver Ron Dobbins on theNetflix comedy seriesTires.[11]
White was married to Lori Brice from 1981 to 1993 and they had one son, Marshall. He was later married to Barbara Dobbs from 2004 to 2008. In 2013, he married singerMargo Rey; as of 2017 the two are no longer together, with White claiming that they were never legally married. On August 6, 2019, a ruling came down in L.A. Superior Court where a judge sided with Rey and declared the couple was in a common-law marriage under Texas law.[12][13]
White stopped drinking alcohol in early 2021.[14] He credits the consultation of ahypnotherapist and the use ofayahuasca with his abstinence.[14]
White received theArmed Forces Foundation's "Patriot Award" in March 2009 for his work in raising money to help wounded soldiers.[15] April 27, 2009, was designated "Ron White Day" in the State ofTexas by Texas legislative officials.[16] He also held benefit shows forHurricane Katrina relief.[17] He was Grammy-nominated forBest Comedy Album in 2007 (shared withJeff Foxworthy,Bill Engvall, &Larry the Cable Guy), & again in 2014.
Besides theBlue Collar Comedy Tour CDs and films, White has released seven solo projects to date.
He has appeared on the following compilation albums:
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Comedy | US Country | US | US Heat | |||
| Tater Salad a.k.a. Busted in Des Moines |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Truckstop Comedy |
| — | — | — | — | |
| Drunk in Public |
| 2 | 11 | 83 | 2 |
|
| You Can't Fix Stupid |
| 1 | 2 | 14 | — | |
| Behavioral Problems |
| 1 | 13 | 51 | — | |
| A Little Unprofessional |
| 1 | 44 | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
White was born in Fritch, Texas...
