Here I am to eat my words.

I was extremely hesitant about picking up John Crist’s memoir, Delete That [Buy Bookshop Amazon] due to his scandal that broke in 2019 and his non-apology apology video in 2020. I mean, it takes some serious balls to re-emerge from being canceled to make a video mocking cancel culture. But that’s exactly what he did and I wasn’t really here for it.

If you’ve never heard of John Crist before, you might recognize his face in comedy videos that have gone viral time after time. He’s got a faith slant to his jokes, which tend to hit home for those in that world. I saw his standup live in 2019 and got a picture with him at a water park in the Bahamas, so I was a fan until the scandal.

Delete That is Crist’s first book, and explains how he got to where he is now, both personally and professionally. It’s a vulnerable account of his emotions and the depression that had him all tangled up for years, as well as how social media fueled his need for validation. It’s an emotional story for him including a fall from grace and time in rehab, and I’m impressed with the transparency he put on the page.

I really didn’t want to like it at all, but it is freaking good. It is well written, to the point, and at least feels brutally honest. That’s all you can really ask for in a memoir. I feel like he took more responsibility for what he did in this book than he did online, which is great. I still don’t condone his past behavior, but at least it seems he is making an effort to improve.

If you’re a curious fan of Crist’s or just interested in reading about the impact of social media, I recommend picking up Delete That.

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