Orem • Do Latter-day Saints have a problem with laughter?
That was the question posed by former “Studio C” cast member Mallory Everton at the recent Restore conference at Utah Valley University.
Everton emphasized the importance of humor in relation to principles within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and all faiths. She also questioned how humor is often negatively portrayed in religious settings, including her time at BYUtv.
“It was a really strange and unique job,” Everton said. “We were making a family-friendly sketch comedy show akin to ‘Saturday Night Live’ … at a network that was connected to a university and a worldwide church. Hilarious!”
She recounted a conversation she had with a BYUtv executive who congratulated her on the success of “Studio C.” He explained to her why the show was on the network, labeling it “the ice cream to attract people to the broccoli that the network could provide.”
That comment didn’t sit well with Everton. She said it made her feel like what she did was spiritually “malnutritious.” His description made it seem as if she was pulling a bait and switch with viewers, she added, going from silly sketch comedy to serious faith topics.
That, Everton said, seemed disingenuous.
(Photo courtesy Justin Hackworth) The original cast of BYUtv's “Studio C” — (clockwise from upper left) Stacey Harkey, Natalie Madsen, James Perry, Adam Berg, Jeremy Warner, Jason Gray, Mallory Everton, Stephen Meek, Whitney Call and Matt Meese.
Diving further into the topic, Everton said that many words with religious undertones seemed unappealing to her. “Reverence, sacrifice or suffering,” she conceded, didn’t necessarily connote how she felt about her faith.
While there certainly are times to be reverential, Everton said, good humor is not something that the faithful need to avoid. She encouraged others to embrace humor and laughter as an essential spiritual component that brings joy to life.
Everton shared a story, for instance, that she heard that occurred during a Latter-day Saint worship service.
She said that an older gentleman was giving a newborn a blessing (a Latter-day Saint practice in which a baby is given a name and blessing) when he misspoke and gave the child the Melchizedek Priesthood, authority in the church generally reserved for devout male adults.
Realizing his mistake, the man reportedly waved his hand over the baby and loudly proclaimed “undo.” The congregation erupted in laughter, Everton said, and the misstep became a treasured memory in that community.
She referenced scriptural stories that encouraged people of faith to embrace joy. In one such biblical story, Christ told his disciples to “become as little children.”
And what do little children do? They laugh.
“Good humor requires us to get over ourselves,” Everton said. “With time, things often become funny.”
Of note, the church in 2023 removed a warning in a temple ceremony that warned Latter-day Saints against “loud laughter and light-mindedness.”
Top church leaders also have counseled that members need not just endure life but enjoy it as well.
Then-apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin gave a General Conference address in 2008 about finding joy in life. His first piece of advice: Learn to laugh, even amid stressful circumstances.
“The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead,” Wirthlin said. “It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.”
Comedian Bengt Washburn couldn’t agree more.
Originally from Mapleton, Washburn grew up in a devout Latter-day Saint family. While his family did laugh together, some felt that his religious-themed jokes were inappropriate.
Washburn’s mother even told him that he was going to “laugh (his) way out of the church.”
But to Washburn, comedy and religion have a similar purpose: coping with life’s countless challenges.
“Comedy can help you rediscover your spirituality,” he said in an interview. “You transcend pain with humor.”
Humor is also a healthy way to approach criticism, Washburn explained. It’s a way to air out “dirty laundry” in safe spaces.
Everton hopes more Latter-day Saints will learn to laugh with the jokes, encouraging them to “put laughter into (their) spiritual diet.”