Listen free for 30 days

  • Comedy Sex God

  • Written by: Pete Holmes
  • Narrated by: Pete Holmes
  • Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (128 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Comedy Sex God cover art

Comedy Sex God

Written by: Pete Holmes
Narrated by: Pete Holmes
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $31.44

Buy Now for $31.44

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Part autobiography, part philosophical inquiry, part sacred quest - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for the spiritual seeker - a hilarious, profound, and enlightening romp around the fertile mind of standout stand-up comedian, host of the hugely successful podcast You Made It Weird, and star of HBO’s Crashing Pete Holmes. 

Growing up as evangelical Christian outside Boston, Pete Holmes was taught that drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex were serious transgressions. Faithful to the tenets of his faith, Pete did not swear, did not drink, did not smoke, and did not fornicate. He did devote himself to one woman, married her, and moved to the country to start a simple life and build a family. Then the wife he pledged himself to cheated on him very publicly. Thanks for nothing, God.

When his attempt at a picture-perfect life failed, Pete was forced to reexamine his beliefs. But neither atheism, Christianity, nor copious bottles of Yellow Tail led to enlightenment. Longing for a model of faith that served him and his newfound uncertainties about the universe - you know, the little things - the scorned believer embarked on a soul-seeking journey that has become the foundation of his work today. Comedy Sex God is his funny, thoughtful, straight-from-the-heart mediation on life, creativity, love, God, and the things that matter to him - and to us all. 

Pete ponders the most valuable spiritual truths he’s picked up in his post-religion life and shares a few personal stories - of professional success, failure, and the pain in his balls. Comedy Sex God is celebration of losing something to find something else - a void that became a door to spiritual exploration - a glorious journey into the mind-blowing unknown that never would have begun if your wife hadn’t cheated with a guy named Rocco.

©2019 Pete Holmes (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Comedy Sex God

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    97
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    91
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Starts amazing, ends ok

I should start by saying that I am a big fan of Pete Holmes. I didn't see much of his talk show but I cackle with laughter throughout his stand ups and I really deeply enjoyed both seasons of Crashing.

The book is expertly performed by the man, Pete Holmes, himself. Like the stories of many other comedians, it starts off heavy. The story goes through the childhood with a dysfunctional family and belief system and into his religious based first marriage. I found so many parallels between this first quarter or third of the book that I genuinely welled up a couple of times between bouts of laughter. The struggles of watching parents argue and dealing with adultery and divorce are beautifully written. If the whole story was like this first portion than I would surely give this 5 stars across the board.

The rest of the book focuses mostly on an altered belief system that was partially sparked by hallucinogenic experimentation and this is where it starts to lose me. The deep dive into meditation and greater being is just not what I was looking for. When I saw the title of the book, Comedy Sex God, I saw that as someone goofily defining himself as a God of Comedy and sex when really the title is simply saying that this book is about Comedy and Sex and God. A simple mistake on my part but still. The remainder of the story its spliced with spiritualism and cutesy stories about his perfect wife who is perfect in every perfect way, which as you can likely tell, made me roll my eyes more than once... which is dangerous since I was listening while driving.

Overall I would recommend the book and I will absolutely continue to follow Holmes as he continues to perform in his unique and goofy like a puppy dog sort of way.

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable, but not what I expected

I love Pete Holmes, but this was 75% God (or more accurately, spirituality) and 25% Sex and Comedy. I wish it had been the other way around.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable. Lots that I related with

Very enjoyable. Lots that I related with. I appreciate hearing Pete’s journey. This book is introducing me to new concepts I haven’t pondered about life, Christianity, and religion as a whole. Nice work Pete.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Pk
  • 2022-09-05

Kept me awake for an entire boring 6 hour drive

wasn't diggin it off the hop, gradually got better, but the 2nd last chapter.. wow

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

LOVED IT

GREAT LISTEN BEST PART IS THAT IT WAS NARRATED BY PETE...... ENUF SAID ♡♡ :)

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing

This book has helped in ways I can’t even put into words, growing up the same way Pete did and having him voice fears and revelations about his life, brought so much comfort and knowing to who I am as a person. This book is funny, real, stretching and full of love.
Recommend to anyone who is searching for truth, anyone who has come out of the church and anyone who still maybe cry’s at night because trying to understand it all is all too much.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

yes. thank you.

"yes. thank you." audible wants me to write more words; but those three are enough.

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not even worthy of background noise

Maybe it's because I have had the opportunity to listen to a lot of audio books read by comics, but this was neither poignant or funny to me. He talks for as long about his guilty masturbating as he does about his entire 1st marriage. Maybe with more gravity. Don't waste your credit.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love Pete.

I expected this book to be a comedy. I was wrong, but I have never been happier to be wrong.

I love Pete's standup, he tells amazing stories and is so relatable. listening to this book gave me so much more insight to him.

I have recommended this book to 10 people and I just finished it two days ago.

Get it. Get it now.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!!!

I thought I was a big fan before this book. This book has increased my love for Pete. This is a must for any Pete Holmes fan. His telling of his journey through comedy, faith and life is an eye opening look on our own journey.
Thank you Pete.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Brandon
  • Brandon
  • 2019-06-20

Mixed bag

I love Pete Holmes and think he is one of the best comedians out there. However, be aware this book is essentially two very different books in one. The first half of this book was fantastic for anyone who loves his stand up or his show, Crashing. The first half is made up of hilarious and moving stories by Pete Holmes about his life, growing up, and getting his start. Then about half way through the book you are going to hit a wall of his journey into downward doggy, guru hugging, nonsensical (imo) spiritualism. I don’t have anything against spiritualism, you should enjoy/believe whatever floats your boat, but as a reader who was thoroughly enjoying this book i found the transition to be disappointing and was not interested in a guide on “how to be enlightened. I kept powering through the spiritualism chapters hoping it would get back to the fun stuff but...alas...it rarely did for the rest of the book.

I’m not saying to avoid this book because I truly enjoyed the first half. However, it would have been nice if halfway through there would have been a disclaimer that the book was about to take a swift turn into a makeshift spiritualism crash course. That way if you are not interested in that, you clearly know to stop the book with a high note and not to waste your time hoping it will go back to what you were enjoying. Just my two cents.

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Levi
  • Levi
  • 2019-08-25

Every Ex Christian Should Read

Beautiful discovery of a man rediscovering faith without faith. Every ex Christian can relate. 5 stars.

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Bryan
  • Bryan
  • 2020-02-04

The size of the words on the cover are appropriate

"Comedy" being the smallest word.
This book was like being cornered at a party by a dude telling you his life story. And at first, it was interesting, so you humored him. You even asked follow up questions, because you could relate to childhood restrictions and fears placed on you by religion, or parents not being communicative, etc.
Then that dude says "And then I discovered the healing powers of crystals".

And there you are. Paralyzed by social etiquette. You've already wandered in too deep. You can't just run, even though you would gladly use all the magic this lunatic thinks this crystal holds to escape this conversation. But no.

Now this guy is no longer talking to you. It's not conversation any more. It's an evangelistic lecture. And you finally hit the "Alright, I'm done with this, shut up dude" then he whips out a picture of his daughter and you go "Oh, cute baby" then he yells "CRYSTALS FOREVER!"---
Then a voice says "Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program."

There. I just summarized the entire book.

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Cooper Le
  • Cooper Le
  • 2019-05-14

Great book!

As a long time fan of Pete Holmes, I had a biased opinion going into this book. That said, it was really great to hear his full story put together, and while I'm not religious or spiritual, some of the lessons and tips for life in the book are certainly valuable.

Pete himself turns in a great performance.

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for theEMP
  • theEMP
  • 2019-06-15

Really enjoyed Pete's narration and story

Easy listen about a real guy making his way through the world and discovering more about his spirituality.

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jeff Mason
  • Jeff Mason
  • 2019-06-12

SO GOOD.

Absolutely LOVED it. I can relate with almost every word Pete says in this book. It's funny, sincere, and thought provoking. Definitely one of my favorites this year so far! ❤

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Utilisateur anonyme
  • Utilisateur anonyme
  • 2019-05-23

A beautiful and relatable story

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Pete’s story. The fact that he narrates the audiobook makes it more hilarious, sincere, and moving. His story serves as a reminder that we all should be in search of truth...no matter how different our individual paths.

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Randall
  • Randall
  • 2019-08-12

Amazing insight told with authenticity and humour.

I grew up in the evangelical church and went through the exact same evolution and transform that Pete did. This was such an amazing book that put words to my journey and introduced me to new ways of seeing and being. The audiobook is so perfect because you feel like Pete is talking with you. Like you are participating in an experience rather than just reading words on a page. His humour and style is playful yet deep. I absolutely loved this book and plan on reading it again. If you want to grow in your understand of the divine mystery we are all born into, then get this book and listen to it ASAP.

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jessica
  • Jessica
  • 2019-06-13

Wonderful read

Pete is one of the most relatable and inspiring people and this book is no short of both of these qualities. Comedy Sex God is a wonderful and honest book diving into the messiness of life and finding the peace in the journey even when that idea is scary.

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for BB
  • BB
  • 2020-04-29

Too Heavy on religion

Pete, I am a big fan of your standup, and I don’t write review on anything. But this book is way too, too, too much on religion and spiritualism and not enough of Pierce……….

3 people found this helpful