{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Elle.com\u2019s R. Eric Thomas: Truth Is Funnier Than Fiction","description":"\u201cIt\u2019s funny \u2018cause it\u2019s true!\u201d said Tina Fey on 30 Rock. As in all things, Tina is 100% correct. In our 2nd episode of For the Love of Finding the Truth, Elle.com humor writer R. Eric Thomas and Jen explore humor as a truth-telling device and how we can use comedy to face some of the greatest ideological battles of our time. Eric has a daily column called \u201cEric Reads the News\u201d where he breaks down the biggest headlines as only a satirist, brunch enthusiast, and Beyonc\u00e9 Fan Club President can do (and be careful where you read anything Eric writes\u2014he\u2019ll likely inspire uncontrollable snorts, much like you\u2019ll hear from Jen during the episode). Eric\u2019s first stab at observational humor took place at church while he and his brother made hilarious notes about the people there (to which Eric was sure they\u2019d go to hell for). This humor later turned into imaginative scenarios Eric would post on Facebook for his friends (i.e. when he saw a group photo of President Obama, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and former Mexican president Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto, Eric declared them \u201can all-male cast of Sex and the City\u201d), which ultimately got the attention of Elle.com and launched his daily column. Eric\u2019s journey is defined by confronting his own painful and hilarious truths as he\u2019s overcome stereotypes, reckoned his Christianity with being gay, and discovered some surprisingly deep things about himself when he joined a gay softball league\u2014all of which he talks about in his upcoming book Here For It. As Eric says: \u201cThe oppressors do not get to define the way I walk through the world and hold my head up. I get to define that.\u201d As Eric would also say\u2014honey, yes. ","author_name":"For The Love With Jen Hatmaker Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/96163\/site","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/10871773\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/53836151"}