General Hospital’s Maurice Benard sat down with a social media sensation, comedian Kountry Wayne, AKA Wayne Colley, on this week’s video podcast of YouTube’s State Of Mind. The two mutual admirers discussed how faith played a huge role in Wayne’s life. The one-time rapper talked about dreaming big dreams in a small town, women being his weak spot, how having 10 children has changed his life, his insightful take on being a vegan, and why he took the cursing out of comedy and still succeeds.
Maurice Benard & Kountry Wayne: Thank God He’s A Country Boy!
In 2014, the small-town country boy from Millen, Georgia, started making little vignettes on life’s awkward and inconvenient moments on Facebook. He took his unique outlook on life to the stage the following year, and he has taken off like gangbusters with 7.6 million followers on Facebook, 3.4 million on Instagram, 758k on YouTube, and 57.7k followers on Twitter.
Wayne talked about how his inspiration blossomed despite his humble upbringing. “I’m from Millen, Georgia. South Georgia. One or two red lights. Dirt roads. It was tough. It was a small town with a lot of small minds. I was always able to look out of the glass. Even when I was little, TV shows helped me look past where I was at. Being in that town was like being Cinderella in the basement.”
It was his faith in a higher power that helped him overcome obstacles holding him back. “God is the reason all things are possible. He is the reason for all my seasons because there is no way that I could be in Hollywood without that faith.” He described what that meant to him, “Sometimes, to know the best that can happen, you have to know the worst that can happen. Where I was at in life, I was 100% sure that I couldn’t get to higher places without some help from higher places, and that is what made me believe in God.
“You know how a child believes in superpowers and superheroes?” asked the comedian. “Well, I really believed in Jesus, and I didn’t let anybody take my faith away from me. I didn’t care what anybody said. I taught myself, in life, to float above the water. Water is a substance that you are supposed to sink in. There could be pain. There could be heartache. There could be debt. But if you walk on it like water, it is possible.”
The interview is full of memorable and inspirational quotes such as this one, “When God creates a person, when you be who he created you to be, you are the best in the world. Most people are never going to reach that level because they are trying to be something else.”
What do you think? Post a comment!
Taking The Cussing Out Of Comedy
Benard (Sonny Corinthos) was intrigued when he found out that Wayne makes it a point to take the cussing out of comedy and finds it is still funny. “I heard that your stand-up comedy is brilliant. Out of this world,” the host commented before posing his next question. “How do you do stand-up without swearing?”
“I just say ‘Hell’ and ‘Damn,’” Wayne explained. “I just made the decision when my first manager said I should do it without cussing. Her dad is a motivational speaker named Les Brown, and he has written a lot of books, so I just stopped.
“I am a country boy,” the comedian went on to share. “Sometimes knowledge is not knowing stuff, and not knowing stuff sometimes helps you go another way. I just took that lane, and you just have to fill in more words. It is harder for me, but it separates me because not everyone can do it. I just figured out a way without using curse words to get the same reaction, and it made me more expressive instead of cursing. I use inflection to get the point across.”
Wayne spoke more about growing up in Georgia, his philosophy on faith, life, and parenting, how he maintains a healthy sense of self, and how what you consume physically and emotionally nourishes your mental health. Don’t miss his thoughts on eating meat, how he stays relaxed and upbeat, and the origins of his stage name.
You might not have heard of the actor/comedian before this interview, but after watching this episode of State Of Mind you will want to see more. To find out more about Kountry Wayne, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and his official website.
Follow Maurice Benard on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. To follow State Of Mind and subscribe, go to YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.
Share this: