Ron White

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For other people named Ronald, Ron, or Ronnie White, see Ronald White.

Ron White
White in 2010
Born (1956-12-18) December 18, 1956 (age 67)
Fritch, Texas, U.S.
MediumStand-up
NationalityAmerican
Years active1978-present
GenresCountry comedy, observational comedy, satire, blue comedy
Spouse
Lori Brice
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 1993)​
Barbara Dobbs
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2008)​
​
​
(m. 2013; div. 2017)​
Children1
Websitewww.tatersalad.com

Ronald Dee White (born December 18, 1956)[1] is an American stand-up comedian, actor and author, best known as a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Nicknamed "Tater Salad", he is the author of the book I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability, which appeared on the New York Times best seller list.

Biography[edit]

White was born in Fritch, Texas on December 18, 1956.[1][2] He joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served on the auxiliary rescue and salvage ship USS Conserver near the end of the Vietnam War.[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 with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour – a show that sold out across the United States in over 90 cities and grossed over $15 million.[1] He made seven guest appearances on Blue Collar TV. In 2005, The WB Television Network aired the pilot for The Ron White Show, a variety show that combined a number of celebrity cameos, cartoons, and sketches. He taped several episodes of The Gong Show with Dave Attell as one of the celebrity judges. White has appeared in the TV shows Kath & Kim, Reno 911!, 12 Miles of Bad Road, the films Sex and the City 2 and Horrible Bosses, and a cameo in a Rascal Flatts music video, "Why Wait".[5] He was one of the executive producers of the 2013 documentary Bridegroom.[6]

White is known for drinking Scotch as part of his act, as well as smoking cigars or cigarettes. He stated during his You 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 DVD Behavioral 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 for President of the United States as an independent candidate in 2016.[9] In 2016, White starred as Phil, veteran road manager for the fictional Staton-House Band, in the Showtime series Roadies.

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 the COVID-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 2024.

Personal life[edit]

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 singer Margo 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.[10][11]

White stopped drinking alcohol in early 2021.[12] He credits the consultation of a hypnotherapist and the use of ayahuasca with his abstinence.[12]

Awards and recognition[edit]

April 27, 2009, was designated "Ron White Day" in the State of Texas by Texas legislative officials.[13] White received the Armed Forces Foundation's "Patriot Award" in March 2009 for his work in raising money to help wounded soldiers.[14] He also held benefit shows for Hurricane Katrina relief.[15] He was Grammy-nominated for Best Comedy Album in 2007 & 2014.

Comedy releases[edit]

Besides the Blue Collar Comedy Tour CDs and films, White has released seven solo projects to date.

Solo works[edit]

  • Tater Salad a.k.a. Busted in Des Moines (1990) (CD)
  • Drunk in Public (2003) (CD)
  • They Call Me "Tater Salad" (2004) (DVD)
  • You Can't Fix Stupid (2006) (DVD and CD)
  • Behavioral Problems (2009) (DVD)
  • A Little Unprofessional (2013) (DVD and digital download)
  • If You Quit Listening, I’ll Shut Up (2018) (Netflix)

He has appeared on the following compilation albums:

  • Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003) (DVD)
  • Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy & Bill Engvall: Live from Las Vegas (2004)
  • Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004) (DVD)
  • Redneck Comedy Roundup (2005)
  • Redneck Kings of Comedy (2005)
  • Comedy Central Presents Southern Gents of Comedy (2006)
  • Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For The Road (2006)(DVD)

Discography[edit]

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
  • Release date: 1990
  • Label: Laughing Hyena
 — — — —
Truckstop Comedy
  • Release date: 1994
  • Label: Laughing Hyena
 — — — —
Drunk in Public 2 11 83 2
You Can't Fix Stupid 1 2 14 —
Behavioral Problems 1 13 51 —
A Little Unprofessional
  • Release date: June 4, 2013
  • Label: Organica Music Group
 1 44 — —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Ron White- Profile". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  2. ^ Shields, Mel (April 18, 2004). "Comic's Happy to Be the Main Attraction Now". The Sacramento Bee. p. Sunday Ticket 49. White was born in Fritch, Texas...
  3. ^ Ron White, I Had the Right to Remain Silent... But I Didn't Have the Ability Archived 2016-05-01 at the Wayback Machine, 2007, Chapter 3
  4. ^ Mark C. Anderson, Blue-collar Comedy Bad-Boy Ron White Totes Scotch and Surprising Sensitivity to Salinas Archived 2013-02-08 at archive.today, Monterey County Weekly, July 26, 2012
  5. ^ "IMDB Ron White". IMDb. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Hesse, Josiah M. (May 13, 2013). "Ron White on gay marriage, marijuana and opening acts -- including Josh Blue". Westword. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "Ron White – Scotch Whisky". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "Comedian Ron White and Acclaimed Music Producer Michael Blakey Partner to Form Organica Music Group". Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  9. ^ " 'Blue Collar' comedian Ron White announces he's running for president" Archived 2015-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, AOL News. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  10. ^ "Ron White". Nndb.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  11. ^ Daniel Goldblatt (October 13, 2013). "Ron White's Marriage Deemed Legal, Estranged Wife Can Go After Him for Spousal Support". Yahoo.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "How Comedian Ron White Quit Drinking and Why Will Smith Will be a Joke Forever". Los Angeles Magazine. May 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "State of Texas Honors Comedian Ron White". April 27, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  14. ^ "The Armed Forces Foundation Honors Ron White at Annual Congressional Gala". Allbusiness.com.
  15. ^ "Austin Hurricane Relief". Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.

External links[edit]

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