Awesome Fat Guy of the Week.

I once read that a plan is just a list of things that don’t happen. My plan was to begin work on this post yesterday. That way I could have it up early. That didn’t happen due to an Internet outage. Luckily that problem was fixed. Which  means that while this post may be up later than I waned it will be posted none the less. So let’s get to this weeks Awesome Fat Guy of the Week, Ron White.

Ron “Tater Salad” White was born on December 19, 1956 in Fritch, Texas.  There isn’t much that is known about Ron’s child hood. What little is known is that he lived with his grandmother and that he has a brother and a sister. His sister, Shea White, was born when Ron was 21. He has stated that he kept her “at arm’s length” for may years.

The nickname “Tater Salad” comes from Ron’s time I the United States Navy. He was given it by fellow sailors who teased him for his love of Potato Salad. I has since become a part of his act. After leaving the Navy Ron followed his childhood dream of becoming a comedian. Things were tough at first. Ron would travel from gig to gig in his Nissan truck. Consider White was a Texan I assume it was a pick-up truck. Ron also sold windows at the time to make ends meet. For a time he lived in Mexico where he bought a pottery factory.

Ron White is too cool for Jeans.

It wasn’t long until he returned to the U.S. to continue his comedy career. His career did not take off until January 2000. It was then that he was included in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. He along with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy toured the country for six years.  During this period they played in over 90 cities and grossed over $15 million. After the show and subsequent movies a TV series was created. Ron chose not to be a part of the series. He was fearful of being typecast as “blue collar” and has joked that he does not have “the work ethic for a television show”. Although he did appear in a few episodes.

Since the end of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Ron’s career has exploded. He filmed a pilot call “The Ron White Show” which aired on the WB. He has appeared on a number of TV shows such as Reno 911!, Kath & Kim, and The Gong Show. Ron also appeared on the big screen in Sex and the City 2 and Horrible Bosses. He even had a cameo in a Rascal Flatts music video.

"You Can't Fix Stupid" is the closest thing to a catch phrase Ron has.

Ron has also released a number of solo projects.  He has had 5 comedy albums to date which netted him 2 Grammy nominations.  Ron has also graced the New York Times best seller list with his book ‘I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn’t Have the Ability”.  In 2009 Ron’s stand up DVD “Behavioral Problems” was released by Comedy Central.

Since hitting it big Ron has gotten a lot of recognition and even some awards. Texas designated April 27, 2009 as “Ron White Day”. The Armed Forces Foundation awarded Ron the “Patriot Award” for his work in raising money for wounded solders. White has also held benefits shows for Hurricane Katrina relief.

All of that is well and good but that isn’t why Ron is an Awesome Fat Guy. No, the reason for that is fat simpler. Ron presents himself well. He wears nice suits, drinks good whiskey, and smokes fine cigars. Ron is what I think of when I imagine a cool Fat guy. It doesn’t hurt that he is funny, successful, philanthropic, and married to a beautiful woman. As far as I am concerned Ron is too cool to not be Awesome. He is also too awesome to not be the Awesome Fat Guy of the Week.

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