The Eric Metaxas Show - #146 - Victoria Jackson

Episode Date: June 25, 2026

Today On The Eric Metaxas Show, Eric talks with Victoria Jackson about her new book Not Dead Yet, her lifelong love of poetry and handstands, her cancer battle, and the joy and faith that still define her life. Later, Eric speaks with Pastor Josh McPherson about Freedom Con 26, why Christian men must stop sitting on the sidelines, and what it will take to preserve the American republic in this critical moment. Subscribe for clips from The Eric Metaxas Show to hear politics and culture from a Christian perspective.⭐ ORDER TODAY:Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World📕: https://a.co/d/0ir3NlapTODAY'S SPONSORS:📢 Don’t Let the Financial Storm Destroy Your Wealth and Future!https://www.metaxasgoldira.com/⭐️ BlockTrust IRA: https://www.metaxascrypto.com/⚖️ Legal Help Center - Get Free Legal Help Today: https://www.legalhelpcenter.com/🛏️ MyPillow — Save BIG with code ERIC: https://www.mypillow.com/☀️ Honest, fast, and free Medicare plan guidance: https://askchapter.com/metaxas/💧 Sentry H2O: https://sentryh2o.com/

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free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Volvo is leaving the chaos of Russia. outside. Start by settling into your saddle-stitched Napa leather seats. Notice the open space around you, uncuttered, elegant, intentional, warm ambient light, and natural wood details to ground you. This is Volvo's Scandinavian sanctuary for every journey. Learn more at Volvocars.caps.cault optional features mentioned. Hey there, folks. Welcome to the program.

This looks like I'm sitting in one of those photo booths, like where you get your picture taken. No. Today, in fact, this very minute, I am in Dallas, Texas. I'm here for the TPSA Faith Conference, led up by our friend Lucas Miles.

And actually, I just spoke at it. Recently, signed a lot of books, met a lot of wonderful people. And I'll tell a little bit more about that in a second. But I want to say on the show today in a couple of seconds, I'm bringing on my dear friend Victoria Jackson. When she comes on, like, I just can't not joke or laugh. Like, she just makes me instantly crazy and happy.

And she's just great. In case you don't know who she is, she was on eight seasons, seven or eight seasons of Saturday Night Live. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 19 times. she would go on there and do, you know, handstands and recite poetry. And so she has a book out, brand new book called Not Dead Yet about handstands and poetry with photos and stuff. She's coming on a couple seconds, talk about that.

After her, I'm talking to a wonderful pastor that I have just gotten to know, Pastor Josh McPherson. And he is in Washington State. And I'm going to be at an event with him. We'll talk about that. That'll be in the second half of today's hour. But he's just a great pastor. I love him and I'm excited about the men's conference.

So because I'm in Dallas, tonight, some of you know, I did this thing called Socrates in the city, and we've launched a bunch of Socrates in the city book clubs around the country. One of them is in Dallas, and it's meeting tonight. So if you're in Dallas and you go on the Socrates and the city website, I'm going to be there tonight. I'm going to show up at the book club, you know, when it starts, because I'm not going to be there for the whole book club. But I'll be there and talk a little bit.

And that is here in Dallas, Texas, tonight, because I'm here. And anytime I can show up at these book clubs, I will show up at these book clubs because it's just a fun thing to connect with people who love Socrates in the city and the books that we're reading together. And these are just show up, you don't have to read the book in advance. You just show up. get a free book. We read it together where someone reads it, someone like me, and it's terrific. So that's what I'm doing tonight here in Dallas. At the TPUSA event, Frank Turek was there. Nobody better than Frank Turek. Tim Barton was there. Some of you know Tim Barton and David Barton. They're the geniuses behind wall builders, which is all about

the Christian roots of American history, which, you know, I kind of care a little bit about that, and I write about that in my book on The Revolution. Also, Billy Hallowell was there last night and today, Lucas Miles, of course, but just a wonderful thing, TPSA, Faith, they're heroes, and it's just a wonderful, it was a wonderful event, and I'm glad, I'm privileged that I got to speak. I spoke, I think it was the first time I've spoken about my new book in the American Revolution, But I will be speaking all over the country. If you want to know where I'm speaking, when I'm speaking, please go to my website, ericmataxis.com.

Chances are I will be coming to a church or venue near you. I will be on the road almost constantly from when the book comes out. I'm speaking at Mark Driscoll's Church in Phoenix. I'm speaking at Skip Heitzig's Church in Albuquerque. I'm speaking in Dallas at Prestonwood, at Jack Graham's church. It's just kind of amazing already that we've got a lot of stuff. I'll be at Greg Lorry's church in Orange County. Anyway, those are just some of the highlights,

but I'll be speaking a lot in many, many places. I wanted to say today, before we go to Victoria Jackson, because I don't know that you got the memo on this, we are doing a special weird deal. If you go to my website, Ericmetaxis.com, and pre-order the book, and I'm pushing everyone shamelessly

to please pre-order the book, please pre-order the book. But if you pre-order the book, like today, you'll see on the website that you send an email to us, we will send you immediately a PDF of the book

so you can read the book immediately. You can read the book before it comes out. The book will be, mailed to you, the beautiful big 600 page book is mailed to you June 2nd when the book officially comes out. But if you pre-order the book, we will send you the PDF immediately and you can read the book now or you can skim the book. But I tell you, nobody's ever done that before. It's kind of a weird thing. It's probably illegal. But please go to ericmettaxas.com. Please do pre-order

the book. The pre-orders are a huge factor in success of the book. So please go to ericmettaxas.com. Be right back. Oh, here's Victorica. Jackson. Ladies and gentlemen, I think I told you that I would have as my guest, Victoria Jackson, and I'm no liar. Here she is, my guest, Victoria Jackson. Vicki, welcome back. Eric Wintoxys, the busiest man in the world. I'm fairly busy, but listen, you're the star of the show here. You have a brand new bookout, Vicky, and I just want to tell my audience, I've had the chance. to look at the book, to read part of the book, it is called Not Dead Yet, a lifetime of handstands, art, and poetry. Vicki, listen, this is the highest compliment,

or this is a high compliment. I have a new publishing imprint, and I had hoped to publish this book. And when I saw the book, I really thought, What a wonderful moving. I mean, you are, I mean, I have to say this to my audience in case they don't know. Like, you are extremely talented.

And part of your talent is hiding that talent in such a way that people think like, oh, it's normal. This is just you. And it is and it isn't. And in this book, well, why don't I let you tell my audience about your brand new book. But again, the title, ladies and gentlemen, not. dead yet, a lifetime of handstands art and poetry. Eric, can I tell your audience that you just spoke at Turning Point? No, you can't.

How do you know that I just spoke at Turning Point? How do you know that I'm in Dallas? How do you know those? What? I love Turning Point. I mean, look, here's Charlie Kirk right there. Oh, my goodness. Is she right there?

Yes, that's an artist called Sam Ryan. Yeah, and he did Jesus and he did Charlie that I own. But, yeah, Eric, I'm so honored to get a little minute with you because you're so busy. And I just got your book, your new book, The Revolution. I got it on audio tape. No, you didn't yet. No, you didn't. I mean, audiobook.

You didn't get anything because I haven't recorded the audio book yet, Vicki. You got fooled. You got ripped off. No, I don't. just went to Amazon and I bought it. You may have paid money, but you're not getting the audio book until I'm done reading the audio book. I was just in the studio two days ago working on it.

And I know that we're far from done. It's a long book, but I'm excited about it. I'm excited. Eric, I recorded my book, which is so big. It should be a textbook. They should teach it in college, victorology. Vicki, tell my audience. about your book, please.

Do I have to pull this out of you? This is basic. You're my friend. You've written a wonderful book. Please tell my audience about your book. So is your book, can we buy it in hardcover now? But back to my book, if you don't mind. Please try to focus on me and my book.

My book, you can pre-order it. If you pre-order it, you can read it today. You have to go to my website, errantmataxus.com, and it'll give you the instructions. but if you pre-order the book now, you'll get the book mailed to you June 2nd, and it's a big, beautiful book. But we will send you a PDF

so you can actually read the book today. But Vicki, we're not here to talk about my book. Thank you. Please tell me about, tell my audience about your book. It is a wonderful book. I was very moved by it, Vicki. You know I'm not bone smoke. Come on.

Well, you did write a nice blurb on the back of it along with John Lovitz, and I appreciate that. But John Lovitz is a liar, and I tell the truth. That's true. I forgot about that. You forgot about that, didn't you? He's famous for lying, and I'm famous for not lying, so. Oh, I forgot about that.

Okay, basically, my whole life, I've been writing poems, and they're not long, boring, stupid ones like the Iliad and the Odyssey. They're short and witty and deep. and I started when I was 10, and I always wanted to put them in a book in chronological order to kind of see one human's life from beginning to end in poetry and song lyrics. And then when I got my diagnosis, stage four, metastatic, incurable breast cancer, I was like, well, I got to do it now. You know, I mean, I'm not going to wait.

So I, um, then I've always wanted to assemble all my handstand photos since I was boring. What one day I've always wanted to, um, to assemble all of my handstand photos. And when I went to do it, I realized, unfortunately, there are none. But in your case, there are zillions of them. Well, ears would have, you're so funny. Okay. What happened was when I was, when Kevin Nealon asked me to open for him.

Oh, now we're going to name drop. Is that what this is about? John Lovitz, Kevin Neelan. Oh, my gosh. We'll be right back. Seriously, we'll be right back. When we look at the headlines coming out of Iran and Israel right now, the fog of war is real. It's hard to know whom to trust.

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shocked. I mean, you are very talented. Your poetry is beautiful, witty, clever, genuinely, wonderful. So how old were you when you started writing poems? What's the first, the earliest poem that's in here? A mustache by Victoria Jackson. A mustache is a... How, Vicki, the question was. I was 10. Thank you. I was looking for a number. Go ahead. Okay. So to finish my thought, Before the commercial, I also wanted to assemble my handstand photos chronologically from when I was born until I was 65, which this was on the Greece trip with Eric Mataxis and his fans. This was a mosque in Turkey. Was it Turkey we were in? I think technically that's the name. We say Asia Minor. Oh, yes. It was Istanbul. And so that's 65 years old.

And then, then, of course, I have, what happened was when I was opening for Kevin Neal, and he asked me open for him in the 90s, and I said, I don't have a stand-up act anymore. And he goes, well, what did you do on Carson? I said, I don't know, I got to look it up. So I looked it up, and I had a handstand, and I did poetry on Carson. And I was like, hey, I wonder if I can still hold my handstand. About that time, I cut my wrist in a dishwasher accident. and I started really missing the ability to do a handstand.

I had never not had the ability before. Was that a cry for help? Was that a suicide attempt disguised as a dishwasher accident? Or was it a genuine dishwasher accident? And please be honest. It was not a suicide attempt, but it could have unconsciously been a cry for help. Unconsciously, it could have been a lot of stuff. But lucky for us, we don't believe in that garbage.

Okay, so you had a dishwasher accident in the 90s. This is fascinating. Please keep going. So I thought, hey, this is the first time in my life. I can't do a handstand because my wrist has, you know, had surgery and everything. So when my wrist came back, I said, I am never going to take the handstand for granted again. And I started doing it in every city I did stand up in, in every country I would go to. And shouldn't we all live like that?

If we can do with something, we just need to do it. Don't take it for granted, folks. If you can do a handstand, do one now before the show is over. I found my youngest one. This was when I was four, I think, in my backyard with a trampoline. You're four years old in that photo? I think I might be five, but I think I'm four. And that's my little ghetto neighborhood.

And then I realized, why was I doing them all the time? I was like, oh. To forget? Because my dad was doing them. Oh. That's my dad. And then I went, oh, wait a minute. And my mom was doing them.

Listen, I don't know how to put this, but that's one weird family, Vicki. That will mess you up. But you turned out okay. Well, he was a Baptist deacon also, so he taught me the truth about God. That scripture is very clear. We need to do handstands. Okay? If you're not doing handstands, you're in rebellion.

Right. So my whole book is the thread. it is the Word of God and how through every trial I expressed my emotional pain and poetry. Everywhere I went, I did handstands, and everything I've been through, I read the Bible and digested it, memorized it, and it's in my heart. And the Word of God has brought me through my whole life. So my real purpose of the book is to spread the gospel and bring glory to God. And before you go to the commercial, you want to hear, oh, that's one of my stand statues. You want to hear a short poem and you guess what it's about?

Okay. One of your poems is in here, Eric. No. The one you helped me write. Oh, that's your poem, but I'd help you write it, yes. Well, go ahead. Go ahead. What's the poem?

What is this? Okay, this one, try to guess what it's about. If knives could talk, a knife at the crossroads of life and death slipped down the bloody path and ended up posing for rubbernecker's at the trial of the century. Everyone knows who did it. If only knives could talk or dead people could talk or murderers told the truth. Wouldn't it be a better world if we lived in a world where murderers told the truth? I mean, yeah, people murder, but tell the truth.

I think we are going to go to a commercial. We're going to sell some Alpo and then we'll be back. But I believe that poem might be referring to someone named Orrenthal, James Simpson. We'll be right back. Partworking American patriots have been left behind. Today, I want to tell you about metaxuscrypto.com. They're bringing access to cryptocurrency, wealth to real Americans.

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$2,500 in bonus crypto when you open an account. Crypto created 80,000 new millionaires last year under Trump's phenomenal economic leadership. Why not you next? Welcome back, folks. I'm talking to somebody who has written a poem about Arendhal James Simpson. We think of him as OJ. So that was the poem. But most of the poems in the book are much more fun, Vicki.

You've written some just spectacular poems. We're going to have you back soon because today's weird. We're doing the show from Dallas. But there's so much wonderful stuff in this. Eric, I just recorded my book on audiobook too, so I understand what you're going through now recording your audio book. And in my audio book, I went off script a little bit and told some show business stories and all the lyrics that the poems that were soft. You went off script on the audiobook. Vicki, you're not allowed to do that. Really?

We'll soon see. I'm waiting to see if they... You went off script. It's an audio book. People want the book. You know, you can add stuff, but, you know, you have to be clear that this is not in the book. Well, in the instructions, it says you have to stick mostly with your script. One instructions. These long instructions.

But I told stories about my Sean Connery's story, my Warren Beatty story. I kind of slipped them in to the audio. And if you'd get my audiobook, I. I sing my songs instead of reading. Okay, Biggie, let me break it down for you as an author, as a fellow author. You really don't want to be pushing the audiobook in this way because then people aren't going to buy the book. And by the way, folks, if you don't buy the book, the whole point of the book is the amazing photographs. Like, no kidding.

That's the point. You don't get that in an audiobook. So maybe people want to buy the audiobook to augment the book. So the book is titled, not. Not dead yet by Victoria Jackson. And Victoria, let me ask you, how is your health? You know, because you throw around terms like stage four cancer, how are you doing? I'm doing great.

See, the bad thing about the audiobook is you can't see the handstand pictures, but I describe them. So blind people would like that. But the good part of the audio book is instead of reading my lyrics, you hear them being sung. So there's pros and guns to all the forms of my... Tom. This is my Tom of my life. It's a big book. This is my great, this is where I'm going to be buried. I'm on the drawer on the very

Wait, wait, wait, wait. The picture you're showing right now, you're telling me that behind you is a mausoleum? That's where my crypt, where I'm going to be buried. You have a crypt? Wait, wait. You have a crypt, Vicki? Yeah, here's the funny story. I told Paul. Yeah, tell us the funny crypt story if you don't mind. Yeah, well, I have funny stories in my book, too, not just poems. I know.

So this is in the book. I said, Paul, why aren't we buying our graves? I have stage four canceled. Why aren't we buying our graves? You don't want to be buried with me, do you? You want to be buried with your next girlfriend or your next wife after I die. And he goes, no, Vicki, I want to be buried with you. I want to be buried with you.

In fact, I like to be buried with you right now because I'm going to kill us both because I can't take it anymore, Vicki. Did he say that? Yes. Yes. And so he goes, I'm free tomorrow. So we went to the cemetery. And I told the lady, I don't want to be under dirt. I don't want to be burned. I would like to be in the drawer because Jesus wasn't underground. He was in an above ground thing. And so she said, oh, they call that a crypt. We don't have any more single crypts. We only have tandem crypts. And I go, what's that? She goes, well, two people are in the same crypt. ways, the first person who passes goes in feet first. The second person goes in head first, so your heads are touching for eternity. So you're, how romantic that your moldering skulls will be near each other. That's really... So that's even more romantic than I even dreamed. So me and Paul got a tandem crypt where our heads will be, and then we know what Paul said? He said, is it, is it extra for

earmuffs. That's pretty funny, Vicky. That is pretty funny. He's funny. But they should give you like three for the price of two. If you're, you know, if you're springing for a tandem crypt, maybe you could bring in a pet or something. Let me leave you with my last poem.

You go quickly because, but we will have you back. But go ahead, yeah. It's the title of the book. Not dead yet. Never will be. Because Jesus died and rose four. me. Thank you. You're no seriously your stuff is much of it is genuinely profound and beautiful and moving and

I really I was very I was very moved I told you this by parts of your book I emailed you that when I read it I thought this is beautiful stuff so the title is not dead yet by Victoria Jackson. Vicki we will have you back soon because we've only scratched the surface of lunacy and we love you. It's finally here, our second annual mega sale. This sale only comes around once a year, so take advantage of the best offers ever while you can. For example, save 50% on our Giza Dream bed sheets as low as 2998. And for the first time ever on TV, my pillow mattresses and my pillow mattress stoppers as low as 9998. And you save 50% on our Luxpeer six piece towel set. Regular 6998, now only 3998.

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