Equipped with gorgeous eyes and Betty-Grable legs, Victoria Jackson used her child-like voice and gift for comedy to convince us that she was the cliche ditzy blond. Her IQ test at the University of Miami will attest, however, that nothing could be further from the truth. Do you think it’s tough sharing your faith around the water cooler where you work? Try articulating your Christian beliefs under the scrutiny of Bill Maher as the cameras role on the set of ABC’s Politically Incorrect or during six seasons of Saturday Night Live! Not only did Victoria demonstrate her superior intellect on PI, she also proved that she had guts. Victoria says this about appearing on the Politically Incorrect program for the first time, “I asked if I could be on it because there was no one ever standing up for Jesus' side.” Although Mr. Maher totally disagreed with most of what Ms. Jackson had to say, she became a regular on the show and turned out to be one of Maher’s favorite female guests. Victoria Jackson performed stand up comedy for two years before Johnny Carson put her act on The Tonight Show. Johnny asked Victoria back on his show 21 times after her unique performance of poetry recitation while doing a handstand.. When Mr. Carson suffered a heart attack, Victoria bought a Bible, had his name inscribed on it and sent it to him. Johnny Carson wrote back, "Thank you for the care package. If it doesn't work, I hold you personally responsible." Ms. Jackson says of SNL, “Everybody was very nice to me on Saturday Night Live. They respected me for my talent, but I was the only Christian in the whole cast. That can be kind of scary. Sometimes you want to say, "I'm not Jesus. Don't hold me up as a perfect role model." Victoria used her time on Saturday Night Live to share her faith with her co-workers. She bought the cast members all a cassette-tape version of the Bible one year for Christmas so they could listen to the Word in their cars. Who will ever forget the night we tuned in to see Victoria Jackson, in full handstand mode, supporting a Christmas Tree and reciting a poem she had written about Jesus!
“I wrote something about the Christmas tree being a symbol at Christmas, and a pagan one, but that the real meaning of Christmas is Jesus coming to the earth to be our Savior. Nobody really heard the poem because I was upside down and people were laughing, but I thought, 'You know, even if no one hears it, God knows that I'm talking about Him on Saturday Night Live.'" Al Franken once asked Victoria Jackson why she never dropped the ditzy act when it was obvious that she was a very sharp lady. Her answer was this: "Maybe I act lighthearted all the time because I’m overcompensating for what I’m really thinking about . . . everyone's dying and going to hell." On her personal web site, Victoria declares, “I've studied all those other religions...and as a cynic and a free spirit...I personally decided to put my faith in Jesus. I've read the Bible all the way through....and I believe it is the Truth...the Word of God.” She also posts Scripture references on the site along with ukulele songs for kids and a new collection on CD for adults called “Use Me.” Victoria Jackson was raised in “a Bible-believing, piano-playing, gymnastic home with no TV.” She placed her own career on hold when she married in 1992 so that her husband could continue his helicopter police career in Miami, Florida. When he retires in a few years, he has promised to move her back to Hollywood. If he breaks his promise, she says she’s going to kill him.
Victoria Jackson may be the only member of the Screen Actor’s Guild who can recite the “Four Spiritual Laws” while standing on her head. “It’s difficult to share the Gospel in a comedy club. People want to laugh, so I end with a bit about death and I include John 3:16." (more often than not, accompanied by a ukulele!) When asked once by a reporter how she made that work, Victoria replied, “I’m a genius.”
