‘Country Ever After’ star Coffey Anderson on his quest to ‘follow the example Jesus set’
Country singer Coffey Anderson, his wife Criscilla and their three children have left audiences laughing, crying, and simply enjoying the family’s day-to-day antics since the release of their popular Netflix reality TV show, “Country Ever After.”
The Andersons invited cameras in to capture their ups, downs and inbetweens as Criscilla, a talented hip-hop dancer, battled cancer, Coffey grew his independent country music career, and the duo raised their young kids.
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Coffey Anderson recently took the “Edifi With Billy Hallowell” podcast through his path into music, his faith journey — and how “Country Ever After” came to fruition.
As for his music prowess, Anderson said his performance roots were set early on in life.
“My mother sang in our church,” he said, adding that his entire family has a musical acumen.
Listen to Anderson tell his powerful story:
Initially, Anderson said he wanted to be a Christian missionary, but as time progressed, performing and music took hold. Some initially laughed at his plans to go into professional music, but he pushed on with his goal and is now reaping the fruits of that labor.
“One thing about me is: you want me to do something, tell me I can’t. That’s just who I am,” he said. “I love proving people wrong … [and] I love proving people right who believe in me.”
When Coffey and Criscilla met years ago, the two decided to walk out their faith together and “follow the example that Jesus set.” And this remains true today, as their Christian faith shines throughout “Country Ever After,” especially as the family navigates Criscilla’s cancer battle.
“We’re not perfect people in any form,” Anderson said, adding that the couple simply seeks to live out their faith — something that is clear in the show’s authentic moments of prayer and reflection.
As for the decision to dive into reality TV, Anderson told “Edifi With Billy Hallowell” that the show came about after he and Criscilla posted a comical viral video a few years back.
In the clip in question, he and Criscilla repeatedly burst out laughing after she struggled to discern what “e-y-e-s” spells (in fairness, he tricked her with a bit of a riddle).
“I had a viral video go crazy,” he said. “We [ended] up laughing about it so hard.”
And it seems others did as well. The video garnered tens of millions of views, and attracted the attention of reality TV producers who became intrigued by the Andersons.
Three days after the video was posted, the couple met with a popular TV executive, and while the prospects of a show were on the table, Coffey was clear about the family’s intention to create something edifying and uplifting — themes that run contrary to much of today’s reality TV.
“We decided to fight for each other not with each other,” Anderson told the producer. “And if you’re willing to put that on TV, I think we’re you’re family.”
The producer agreed and the end result was “Country Ever After,” a wholesome show with a great deal of heart, honesty, prayer and faith.
“We [wanted to] make a show that would make people laugh, make people cry, but it was also safe for them to watch,” Anderson said. “You can watch our show and just laugh and enjoy.”
One of the toughest elements of the show is Criscilla’s cancer battle. While she went into remission during filming, she has since been diagnosed with stage four cancer and is once again battling the disease — something the Andersons are bravely facing together.
While God has sustained the couple, Anderson said the journey has had its faith challenges.
“It’s up and down. And I think … some days we believe stronger than others and that’s why you pull people around you that are pulling for you and with you,” Anderson said. “You have to protect your faith, your strength … you have to protect innocence.”
Find out more about Anderson and his music here, and we’ll leave you with more episodes of “Edifi With Billy Hallowell”:
