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'''JP Sears''' (born April 12, 1981), known online as '''AwakenWithJP''', is an American [[YouTuber]] and [[comedian]]. Sears is known for his satirical YouTube videos in which he parodies [[Lifestyle guru|lifestyle gurus]] and [[Wellness (alternative medicine)|wellness coaches]], and offers comedic life advice. During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], he shifted his focus to [[Conservatism|conservative]] politics and to promoting [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] through [[Vaccine hesitancy|anti-vaccine activism]].<ref name="NEWYORKTIMES">{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Kenneth |title=Fauci cautions against overconfidence but says the U.S. wave looks like it's 'going in the right direction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/health/fauci-omicron-peak.html |access-date=April 3, 2022 |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name=MCGILL>{{Cite web|last=Jarry|first=Jonathan|date=November 19, 2020|title=The Clown Prince of Wellness|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/clown-prince-wellness|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=[[Office for Science and Society]]}}</ref>
'''JP Sears''' (born April 12, 1981), known online as '''AwakenWithJP''', is an American [[YouTuber]] and [[comedian]]. Sears is known for his satirical YouTube videos in which he parodies [[Lifestyle guru|lifestyle gurus]] and [[Wellness (alternative medicine)|wellness coaches]], and offers comedic life advice. During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Sears advocated against mask and vaccine mandates.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
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Sears has also produced satirical roasts of [[Spokane]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], and other locations; however, a 2017 satire of [[Costa Rica]] was less well-received by residents and Sears subsequently pulled the video from his channel and issued an apology after it was criticized by Costa Rican ambassador to India Mariela Cruz.<ref name="hoy">{{cite news |title=La Satira de JP Sears Que Deja Muy Mal a Costa Rica|url=https://www.crhoy.com/entretenimiento/la-satira-de-jp-sears-que-deja-muy-mal-a-costa-rica/ |language=Spanish|access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=Costa Rica Hoy |date=June 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Garrett |title=YouTuber JP Sears explains 'Phoenix People': Locals either love it or feel totally burned |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/people/2018/03/29/jp-sears-youtube-phoenix-people-woke-af/470130002/ |access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=[[Arizona Republic]] |date=March 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="crn"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Internet comedian explains 'what Spokane people are like' in hilarious video |url=https://www.krem.com/article/entertainment/what-spokane-people-are-like-video/293-3c4e737b-61fc-4a34-8172-eb740514f465 |access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=[[KREM-TV]] |date=January 16, 2020}}</ref> ''Costa Rica Hoy'' observed that Costa Ricans familiar with Sears' satirical style would probably be amused by the video, while those who were unfamiliar with it would not.<ref name="hoy"/> The ''Costa Rica News'', an English-language newspaper in Costa Rica, observed that "this is a great lesson in cultural differences, what made JP's popularity in the States, the use of satire and parody is not going to be a successful tactic in Latin America. At the very least, JP did realize that he had erred and sought to rectify his actions in a very public way."<ref name="crn">{{cite news |title=Getting Real With JP Sears in Costa Rica |url=https://thecostaricanews.com/jp-sears-gets-serious-costa-rica/ |access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=Costa Rica News |date=July 11, 2017}}</ref>
Sears has also produced satirical roasts of [[Spokane]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], and other locations; however, a 2017 satire of [[Costa Rica]] was less well-received by residents and Sears subsequently pulled the video from his channel and issued an apology after it was criticized by Costa Rican ambassador to India Mariela Cruz.<ref name="hoy">{{cite news |title=La Satira de JP Sears Que Deja Muy Mal a Costa Rica|url=https://www.crhoy.com/entretenimiento/la-satira-de-jp-sears-que-deja-muy-mal-a-costa-rica/ |language=Spanish|access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=Costa Rica Hoy |date=June 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Garrett |title=YouTuber JP Sears explains 'Phoenix People': Locals either love it or feel totally burned |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/people/2018/03/29/jp-sears-youtube-phoenix-people-woke-af/470130002/ |access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=[[Arizona Republic]] |date=March 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="crn"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Internet comedian explains 'what Spokane people are like' in hilarious video |url=https://www.krem.com/article/entertainment/what-spokane-people-are-like-video/293-3c4e737b-61fc-4a34-8172-eb740514f465 |access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=[[KREM-TV]] |date=January 16, 2020}}</ref> ''Costa Rica Hoy'' observed that Costa Ricans familiar with Sears' satirical style would probably be amused by the video, while those who were unfamiliar with it would not.<ref name="hoy"/> The ''Costa Rica News'', an English-language newspaper in Costa Rica, observed that "this is a great lesson in cultural differences, what made JP's popularity in the States, the use of satire and parody is not going to be a successful tactic in Latin America. At the very least, JP did realize that he had erred and sought to rectify his actions in a very public way."<ref name="crn">{{cite news |title=Getting Real With JP Sears in Costa Rica |url=https://thecostaricanews.com/jp-sears-gets-serious-costa-rica/ |access-date=May 17, 2021 |work=Costa Rica News |date=July 11, 2017}}</ref>


==Political activities, anti-vaccine activism, and promotion of conspiracy theories==
==Political activities==
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, Sears shifted his focus to [[Vaccine hesitancy|anti-vaccine activism]] and promotion of conspiracy theories. In a November 2020 article for the [[Office for Science and Society]], [[McGill University]] [[Science communication|science communicator]] Jonathan Jarry described Sears as part of the [[Conspirituality|conspirituality trend]], combining conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality. He notes that Sears has promoted claims about COVID-19 such as that [[COVID-19 drug repurposing research#Vitamin D|Vitamin D provides protection against the disease]], and has referred to masks as "face suffocators."<ref name=:0 />
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, Sears began to attempt to discredit some of the public health actions taken against COVID-19 and promote COVID-19 conspiracy theories. In a November 2020 article for the [[Office for Science and Society]], [[McGill University]] [[Science communication|science communicator]] Jonathan Jarry described Sears as part of the [[Conspirituality|conspirituality trend]], combining conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality. He notes that Sears has promoted claims about COVID-19 such as that [[COVID-19 drug repurposing research#Vitamin D|Vitamin D provides protection against the disease]], and has referred to masks as "face suffocators."<ref name=MCGILL>{{Cite web|last=Jarry|first=Jonathan|date=November 19, 2020|title=The Clown Prince of Wellness|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/clown-prince-wellness|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=[[Office for Science and Society]]}}</ref>


In January 2021, following up on the Office for Science and Society piece, ''Vice'' reported that in November, [[2020 United States elections|on election day]], Sears attended a gathering at the home of film producer Stephen Huntsman to pray for Donald Trump and to make "an implicit protest against COVID safety guidelines." Other attendees included ''[[Plandemic]]'' producer Mikki Willis, anti-vaccine activist [[Del Bigtree]], and Trump's ex-wife [[Marla Maples]].<ref>Merlan, Anna. 2021. "[https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vkdq/leading-new-age-conspiracy-influencers-plan-their-retreat-to-utopian-lagoon Leading New Age Conspiracy Influencers Plan Their Retreat to Utopian Lagoon]", January 28, 2021. ''Vice''.</ref>
In January 2021, following up on the Office for Science and Society piece, ''Vice'' reported that in November, [[2020 United States elections|on election day]], Sears attended a gathering at the home of film producer Stephen Huntsman to pray for Donald Trump and to make "an implicit protest against COVID safety guidelines." Other attendees included ''[[Plandemic]]'' producer Mikki Willis, anti-vaccine activist [[Del Bigtree]], and Trump's ex-wife [[Marla Maples]].<ref>Merlan, Anna. 2021. "[https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vkdq/leading-new-age-conspiracy-influencers-plan-their-retreat-to-utopian-lagoon Leading New Age Conspiracy Influencers Plan Their Retreat to Utopian Lagoon]", January 28, 2021. ''Vice''.</ref>
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In February 2021, Sears appeared as a speaker at the Health Freedom Summit, an online event featuring speakers promoting anti-vaccination and mask mandates, and pro-homeschool views.<ref name="HEALTH-FREEDOM-SUMMIT-RD">Crockford, Susannah. 2021. "[https://religiondispatches.org/the-health-freedom-movement-enters-the-covid-era-by-disseminating-medical-disinformation/ The 'Health Freedom Movement' Enters the Covid Era by Disseminating Medical Disinformation"]. ''[[Religion Dispatches]]''. May 13, 2021.</ref>
In February 2021, Sears appeared as a speaker at the Health Freedom Summit, an online event featuring speakers promoting anti-vaccination and mask mandates, and pro-homeschool views.<ref name="HEALTH-FREEDOM-SUMMIT-RD">Crockford, Susannah. 2021. "[https://religiondispatches.org/the-health-freedom-movement-enters-the-covid-era-by-disseminating-medical-disinformation/ The 'Health Freedom Movement' Enters the Covid Era by Disseminating Medical Disinformation"]. ''[[Religion Dispatches]]''. May 13, 2021.</ref>


⚫
Sears was the [[master of ceremonies]] at the Defeat the Mandates rally in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]] on January 23, 2022.<ref name="Reason">{{cite web |last1=Britschgi |first1=Christian |title=D.C.'s Anti-Mandate Rally Devolves Into an Anti-Vaccine Rally |url=https://reason.com/2022/01/24/d-c-s-anti-mandate-rally-devolves-into-an-anti-vaccine-rally/ |website=Reason |access-date=April 4, 2022 |date=January 24, 2022}}</ref> Sears spoke against vaccine mandates to around 10,000 protesters alongside anti-vaccine activist [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] and mRNA vaccine skeptic [[Robert W. Malone]].<ref name="NEWYORKTIMES">{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Kenneth |title=Fauci cautions against overconfidence but says the U.S. wave looks like it's 'going in the right direction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/health/fauci-omicron-peak.html |access-date=April 3, 2022 |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Reason" />
Sears performed at the Crenshaw Youth Summit, hosted by Republican politician [[Dan Crenshaw]] in Houston, Texas in September 2021.<ref name="CRENSHAW">Terris, Ben. 2021. "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/post-trump-republican-party-dan-crenshaw/2021/09/13/cca47a78-14c6-11ec-b976-f4a43b740aeb_story.html What if Republicans had a party and Trump wasn’t there?]". ''The Washington Post''. September 14, 2021.</ref> In a November 2021 interview with the ''[[Spokesman-Review]],'' Sears said that pivoting to becoming a conservative comedian had "turned out to be great for my career."<ref name="SPOKESMAN-REVIEW">Condran, Ed. 2021. "[https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/nov/25/conservative-anti-vaccine-comic-jp-sears-to-crack-/ Conservative, anti-vaccine comic J.P. Sears to crack wise in Spokane for first time]". ''[[The Spokesman Review]]''. November 25, 2021.</ref> Sears also said that "I was never political before, but I'm insanely behind freedom. I have conservative values."<ref name="SPOKESMAN-REVIEW" />

⚫
Sears was the [[master of ceremonies]] at the Defeat the Mandates rally in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]] on January 23, 2022.<ref name="Reason">{{cite web |last1=Britschgi |first1=Christian |title=D.C.'s Anti-Mandate Rally Devolves Into an Anti-Vaccine Rally |url=https://reason.com/2022/01/24/d-c-s-anti-mandate-rally-devolves-into-an-anti-vaccine-rally/ |website=Reason |access-date=April 4, 2022 |date=January 24, 2022}}</ref> Sears spoke against vaccine mandates to around 10,000 protesters alongside vaccine conspiracy theory promoters such as [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] and [[Robert W. Malone]].<ref name="NEWYORKTIMES" /><ref name="Reason" /> In 2022, ''[[The New York Times]]'' described Sears as a "conservative conspiracy theorist".<ref name="NEWYORKTIMES" />


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{Official website|https://awakenwithjp.com/}}
*{{Official website|https://awakenwithjp.com/}}
*[https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/nov/25/conservative-anti-vaccine-comic-jp-sears-to-crack-/ Interview] in ''[[The Spokesman-Review]]''


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, JP}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, JP}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:American anti-vaccination activists]]
[[Category:American conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:American YouTubers]]
[[Category:American YouTubers]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]

Revision as of 16:16, 13 April 2022

For the baseball player, see JP Sears (baseball).

JP Sears
Sears in 2020
Born
Jonathan Patrick[1]Sears

April 12, 1981
Toledo, Ohio, United States
CitizenshipUnited States
OccupationInternet personality
Years active2012–present
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers2.35 million[2]
Total views293 million[2]
Last updated: April 4, 2022

JP Sears (born April 12, 1981), known online as AwakenWithJP, is an American YouTuber and comedian. Sears is known for his satirical YouTube videos in which he parodies lifestyle gurus and wellness coaches, and offers comedic life advice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sears advocated against mask and vaccine mandates.

Early life and education

JP Sears was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Bowling Green, Ohio.[3] According to Sears, he was a class clown in his youth.[4] He attended Bowling Green State University, but withdrew after several months to begin studying holistic culture at Ohio life coaching school Journeys of Wisdom.[3]

Pre-2020 comedy career

Sears screaming on a beach ground while leading an anger management therapy in 2013.

In 2004, Sears moved from Ohio to San Diego, California to begin work as a professional life coach.[3] Prior to his appearance on YouTube, Sears operated the website holistichealthandfitness.com, which featured links to supplements and the website of alternative medicine proponent Joseph Mercola.[5] In 2013, he began uploading YouTube videos providing advice on topics including anger management and self-actualization.[3]

Sears as a hippie in a 2016 video skit

In 2014, Sears relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, after which he changed the tone of his videos from serious life coaching to satirical life coaching.[3] He received notable attention in 2015 for his YouTube video titled "How to Become Gluten Intolerant" (as of November 2020 the video had received over 10 million views). In the video, Sears delivers lines such as "If you're ready to have a ravenous appetite for impossible standards and dogmatic feelings of victimization, then let's get started on what you need to do to become gluten intolerant" in a deadpan and sarcastic manner typical of his YouTube content's approach to satire.[5]

Sears is the author of the 2017 satirical book How to Be Ultra Spiritual: 12-1/2 Steps to Spiritual Superiority.[6][7]

Sears primarily performs as a satirist.[4] In an interview with the Naples Daily News, Sears said he uses comedy to share "sincere life advice" and balances "the sincere and the satirical" while eschewing the idea that "you're either serious, like Deepak Chopra, or you're only joking around like a comedian".[4] Sears has rejected being categorized as either "sincere" or "humorous", explaining that he's both and the premise of the question is like asking "do you have a right hand or do you have a left hand?"[6] According to Sears, all of his parody is drawn from aspects of his own life.[6]

Sears' 2015 video "How to Be Gluten Intolerant" was called "hilarious for skewering dietary pedants" by Business Insider's Simon Thomsen.[8] Sears' observations in that video were later quoted by the Dallas Observer in an article on gluten-free pizza and he was cited by Australia's ABC News as one of "a growing number of comedians satirising fad gluten-free and grain elimination diets".[9][10]

In March 2017, Sears recorded a segment with CBC Radio's "Early Edition" in which host Samantha Garvey joined him in a tour of Vancouver's "most spiritually trendy spots".[11] Greatist named Sears to its list of the "100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness" in 2017.[12]

Following a 2018 video roast Sears recorded about New Jersey, WKXW's Jeff Deminski called him "too funny not to share".[13] In a similar video roast filmed the same year about Boulder—described by Westword as "hilarious"—Sears speculated "about running his own dog, Zephyr, for mayor", though, columnist Michael Roberts ultimately concluded he "could always run for mayor in Zephyr's place, especially given his high public profile".[14]

Sears has also produced satirical roasts of Spokane, Phoenix, Portland, and other locations; however, a 2017 satire of Costa Rica was less well-received by residents and Sears subsequently pulled the video from his channel and issued an apology after it was criticized by Costa Rican ambassador to India Mariela Cruz.[15][16][17][18] Costa Rica Hoy observed that Costa Ricans familiar with Sears' satirical style would probably be amused by the video, while those who were unfamiliar with it would not.[15] The Costa Rica News, an English-language newspaper in Costa Rica, observed that "this is a great lesson in cultural differences, what made JP's popularity in the States, the use of satire and parody is not going to be a successful tactic in Latin America. At the very least, JP did realize that he had erred and sought to rectify his actions in a very public way."[17]

Political activities

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Sears began to attempt to discredit some of the public health actions taken against COVID-19 and promote COVID-19 conspiracy theories. In a November 2020 article for the Office for Science and Society, McGill University science communicator Jonathan Jarry described Sears as part of the conspirituality trend, combining conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality. He notes that Sears has promoted claims about COVID-19 such as that Vitamin D provides protection against the disease, and has referred to masks as "face suffocators."[19]

In January 2021, following up on the Office for Science and Society piece, Vice reported that in November, on election day, Sears attended a gathering at the home of film producer Stephen Huntsman to pray for Donald Trump and to make "an implicit protest against COVID safety guidelines." Other attendees included Plandemic producer Mikki Willis, anti-vaccine activist Del Bigtree, and Trump's ex-wife Marla Maples.[20]

In February 2021, Sears appeared as a speaker at the Health Freedom Summit, an online event featuring speakers promoting anti-vaccination and mask mandates, and pro-homeschool views.[21]

Sears was the master of ceremonies at the Defeat the Mandates rally in Washington D.C. on January 23, 2022.[22] Sears spoke against vaccine mandates to around 10,000 protesters alongside anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and mRNA vaccine skeptic Robert W. Malone.[23][22]

Personal life

In September 2020, Sears announced he and his wife were expecting a child.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Tuttle Twins Episode 7 - Premiere Livestream (Feat. JP Sears)". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b "About AwakenWithJP". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c d e Ellison, Heath (January 24, 2018). "Local viral video star JP Sears finds success in comedy and sincerity". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Grzeszczak, Jocelyn (May 17, 2021). "Naples only "non-redneck" part of Florida, says YouTube comedian". Naples Daily News. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Jarry, Jonathan (November 19, 2020). "The Clown Prince of Wellness". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Ham, Larissa (August 15, 2016). "YouTube comedian or real life coach: who is the real JP Sears?". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ^ "JP Sears – Live in Denver". Comedy Works. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  8. ^ Thomsen, Simon (March 19, 2015). "Satirical advice on how to become 'gluten intolerant'". Business Insider. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Albee, Amanda (May 23, 2018). "From Tapioca to Cauliflower, the Best Nontraditional (and Gluten-Free) Pizza Crusts in Dallas". Dallas Observer. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  10. ^ Locke, Sarina (April 30, 2015). "Lower grain consumption has not stopped obesity in Australia". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  11. ^ Dimoff, Anna (March 31, 2017). "JP Sears visits Vancouver, finds his spiritual home in a Lululemon store". CBC. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  12. ^ "The 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness". Greatist. February 26, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  13. ^ Deminski, Jeff (June 25, 2018). "Watch New Jersey Get Brutally Roasted". WKXW. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Roberts, Michael (January 6, 2018). "JP Sears on His Hilarious Boulder Tribute Video and the Town's Ultra-Spirituality". Westword. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "La Satira de JP Sears Que Deja Muy Mal a Costa Rica". Costa Rica Hoy (in Spanish). June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Garrett (March 29, 2018). "YouTuber JP Sears explains 'Phoenix People': Locals either love it or feel totally burned". Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Getting Real With JP Sears in Costa Rica". Costa Rica News. July 11, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  18. ^ "Internet comedian explains 'what Spokane people are like' in hilarious video". KREM-TV. January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  19. ^ Jarry, Jonathan (November 19, 2020). "The Clown Prince of Wellness". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  20. ^ Merlan, Anna. 2021. "Leading New Age Conspiracy Influencers Plan Their Retreat to Utopian Lagoon", January 28, 2021. Vice.
  21. ^ Crockford, Susannah. 2021. "The 'Health Freedom Movement' Enters the Covid Era by Disseminating Medical Disinformation". Religion Dispatches. May 13, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Britschgi, Christian (January 24, 2022). "D.C.'s Anti-Mandate Rally Devolves Into an Anti-Vaccine Rally". Reason. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  23. ^ Chang, Kenneth (January 23, 2022). "Fauci cautions against overconfidence but says the U.S. wave looks like it's 'going in the right direction". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  24. ^ "Comedian JP Sears". KATU-TV. September 1, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2021.

Further reading

External links

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