Rebel Jeff Dunham and Darci Lynne's Puppets Exchange Hilarious Banter
2023/08/30

ADVERTISEMENT

We here at LittleThings can't get enough of the latest winner, 12-year-old Darci Lynne Farmer.

The tween stood out among her fellow season 12 contestants right off the bat. Though there was plenty of talent to spare this year — between other young performers like runner-up Angelica Hale and inspirational contestants like Mandy Harvey — Darci Lynne came out on top in the end. It was no surprise to the millions of fans who had cheered for her all season long!

There's been some chatter about whether Darci is a talented professional ventriloquist or just talented for a girl her age. But famed ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham's recent comments about her should put that debate to rest once and for all.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jeff spoke to TMZ about Darci and whether he would ever be interested in performing with her.

Darci Lynne Farmer is a ventriloquist, comedian, and singer from Oklahoma City.

The 12-year-old has said that she loved to sing growing up, but was very shy. Her parents encouraged her to pursue her love for singing to overcome her shyness, so she began competing in talent-based child pageants.

It was through one of these pageants that she met a young ventriloquist, who inspired Darci to give it a try.

ADVERTISEMENT

Incredibly, Darci has only been practicing ventriloquism for a little over two years, after she asked her parents to give her a puppet for her 10th birthday.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Darci's audition in the very first episode of 's 12th season quickly established her as the one to beat.

She won the season's first Golden Buzzer, courtesy of Mel B. From there, it was a straight shot to the quarterfinals, where she once again blew the judges away week after week with her collection of puppets and distinct singing voices for each.

ADVERTISEMENT

After winning the grand prize of $1 million dollars and a show in Las Vegas, Darci Lynne opened up to E! Online about what she intends to do with her prize money.

"I have to get my mom a dishwasher because it doesn't work and we need a new one," she said. She also intends to help out her church's mission program with some of her winnings and to get a pug puppy.

But what do other professional ventriloquists have to say about the rising star?

ADVERTISEMENT

Terry Fator, another ventriloquist who won season 2 of , returned to the stage to perform with Darci Lynne during the finals show. He called her "amazing" after she won the season.

"Congrats DarciLynne. You are amazing. Can't wait to see you on the Vegas stage! And come be part of #AVeryTerryChristmas at the Mirage," he tweeted.

But Terry hasn't been the only ventriloquist to sing Darci's praises.

In an interview with TMZ, famed ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham spoke about Darci's talent and her potential future as a professional ventriloquist.

ADVERTISEMENT

"She was fantastic," Jeff said after Darci's win. He noted that the two had actually met when Darci came to a few of his shows with her parents (who he said are "not stage parents") in the last year.

The comedian also noted that Darci's parents seem to have "the best in mind for her" and "will guide her and help her achieve what she wants to" and "help her not go off the trail."

"I think she has a career if she wants to," he continued, explaining that, as a father, he believes that she should finish her education before finding success as a child performer.

ADVERTISEMENT

But if she decides to continue performing after she's grown up, he fully believes that "she could be the next Shari Lewis."

Shari Lewis, of course, is the voice behind Lamb Chop and one of the most famous ventriloquists and puppeteers of all time.

As for teaming up with the latest  winner for a ventriloquism duet, Jeff is willing — but might have to tone down his own act.

"My act is not R-rated, but there may be a few words here and there that I might have to leave out if the family audiences started showing up," Jeff said. "But if I did that — and I could, I do it all the time — then I think we would have a lot of fun on stage. She’s just great."

What do you think of Darci Lynne's future as a ventriloquist?

AD
Article
news flash