How Comic and Social Media Sensation John Crist Got Fired From Chick-fil-A (Exclusive)

Comic John Crist might be best known for his hilarious, church-going jokes both on social media and in front of a live audience, but the son of a pastor and former homeschooler has had his fair share of personal controversies — including a firing from one of the most beloved fast food chains in the U.S.

In an exclusive with PopCulture.com, Crist revealed how he managed to get fired from his first job at Chick-fil-A.

“I tried to stir the lemonade with my hand,” he told PopCulture.com while laughing, adding how the fast food franchise makes them in “huge, five gallon” containers. “So I was like 15, they were like, ‘John, go get the lemonade.’ … I got the lemon juice, the water, the sugar, and everyone was like, ‘We need refills now!’ There was people at the front, like waiting, and I was like, ‘ahhh!’”

“I couldn’t find the big [spoon], so I was like,” he added, gesturing that he attempted to stir the lemonade with his hand.

Crist specified that while he wasn’t technically fired, he mysteriously stopped appearing on the schedule after that incident.

“I was like, ‘Maybe the store is closed down?’ [but] I drive by like, ‘It looks like it’s still open!’” he explained jokingly.

Chick-fil-A was an easy choice for a guy who grew up in a Christian household, but the daring thought to make a career on telling jokes about the church seemed like walking on thin ice. However, despite the potential risk, it worked in his favor. The comedian has managed to gain over one million followers on Instagram and over two million on Facebook as he highlights church stereotypes, and fans can’t seem to get enough.

“Somebody told me one time, ‘If you’re gonna be a great, transcendent comedian, you gotta write what you know about,” he explained when asked why he chose the church as his niche. “I grew up in church, my dad’s a pastor, I was homeschooled, I went to Christian college, first job at Chick-fil-A.”

He’s not the only comedian that revolves his jokes around what’s familiar. Actor and comedian, Kevin Hart does the same thing, playing off his height and joking about that all the time. Hart even told fans at one point that someone told him the very same thing that was told Crist — to stick to what he knew.

But with Crist now having fans across the board, the 35-year-old admits that he never really expected his videos to take off the way they did because he wasn’t making them for the intent of going viral.

“I never really made videos to get cool on the internet, I just made videos that I liked to make,” he said.

Crist mentioned that one of his friends asked him if he would ever delete a video if it didn’t get a certain number of likes, and let’s just say, his answer didn’t align with the new, trendy saying “felt cute, might delete, [I don’t know].”

“No,” he bluntly stated. “‘Cause that’s just assuming that I made it for y’all.”

While it feels like he’s making his videos for fans because of the truth behind each hilarious clip, the Georgia native says he simply enjoys “making stuff,” and of course fans happen to agree with his points.

Crist is starting his Immature Thoughts tour in October. Visit his official website for tour dates and more!