Preacher Lawson was born in Portland, Oregon, but raised for most of his adolescence in Memphis, Tennessee. He moved 20 times before the age of 10, but considers himself a native to Orlando, Florida, as he believes this is the city where he grew most as a comedian. As Lawson grew up in multiple cities and constantly switched schools, he had to learn how to adapt. Wherever he was, he would learn about different people and cultures, but noticed the one universal language everyone had in common was laughter, which is how he connected with and warmed up to new people. Lawson started writing jokes when he was 16, and performed for the first time at 17 years old, due to a bet he had with his mom. Lawson loves performing, and won the 2015 Funniest Comedian in Florida and the 2016 Seattle International Comedy Competition.