Thomas brown

Long before Thomas Brown was voted AOL’s “Best Cruise Line Comedian,” the Tampa, Florida native honed his craft as a child by sneaking into his father’s album and 8-track collection and listening to Richard Pryor until he knew every joke word for word.

Thomas’s father served in World War II and as a child, Thomas noticed things about him were different than other dads in the neighborhood. It wasn’t until he was older and heard his father’s wartime stories that he realized he likely suffered from PTSD.

“I wonder how different it would have been if he could have received help,” Thomas says.

That is why Thomas founded Laughs for the Troops in 2011.

“Every week, I meet these bright young men and women who have come back from the war,” he says. “They thank me and say ‘You have no idea how much laughing helps.’ I wanted to create a way to use my gift of comedy to help other sons and daughters by providing their military parents with the help that my father needed and never received.”

Thomas approached Hank Cintron and Jim Kelley in 2011 with his idea to create Laughs for the Troops. Both were eager to become involved.

No other charity focuses on traumatic brain injury, so Thomas’s goal is to help as many families who are affected by TBI as possible.

Thomas has spent more than two decades making people laugh, and Laughs for the Troops enables him to doing so for a good cause. Laughs for the Troops raises money and awareness through large comedy events.

Thomas has a CD titled “Stupid Things That People Do,” and a cookbook: “From the Stage to the Stove, World’s Funniest Cookbook.” He has headlined national tours alongside star comedians such as Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall.

He also is an accomplished automotive metal fabricator and custom painter who has restored cars for Major League Baseball stars Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield, as well as for Tom DuPont, publisher of the DuPont Registry.

Thomas is married to Vanessa has a daughter, Niyah, and a son, Trae.