Freethought of the Day

Bo Burnham

On this date in 1990, Robert "Bo" Burnham was born in Hamilton, Mass. Burnham started attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2008 and has a brother, Pete. His career as a comedian and musician began when he posted comedic videos to his YouTube channel, boburnham, beginning in 2006. In 2008, when Burnham was 18, he became the youngest person to perform a stand-up special for Comedy Central. Burnham is known for his comedy routine “Words Words Words,” which he began performing in 2010, and which earned him the 2010 Fosters Comedy Award Panel Prize.

His first CD, “Bo Burnham,” was released in 2009 by Comedy Central Records. He wrote and directed the popular and critically acclaimed 2018 film “Eighth Grade,” which won a long list of industry awards.

“I’m a heretic,” Burnham says during his song “Rant,” part of his “Words Words Words” routine. During the song, he critiques Christianity for its support of slavery and opposition to gay marriage, and raps about Christians who lack understanding of the bible and twist bible passages to support their own viewpoints.

Photo by Jennifer Elias of Burnham performing in Pittsburgh. CC 2.0

“Jesus wasn’t the messiah. Get back, I’m a heretic and I’m on fire.”

—"Rant," "Bo Burnham: Words Words Words" (2010)

Compiled by Sabrina Gaylor

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