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In 2016, Joness friends Nicole and Mickey Blaine launched aKickstarter campaignto change this.
Remarkably, it succeeded.
Jones bellowed at Ellen DeGeneres in disbelief, overjoyed at the reveal.
But then something improbable happened: Jones kept on living.
It turns out Jones was right to be indignant.
For some, tearful good-byes are made anticlimactic by subsequent years of mundane interactions.
For others, shortsighted spending sprees wipe out retirement savings that wind up being necessary after all.
Its a solid special, Jones says, reflecting onBurning the Lightprior to the fifth anniversary of its release.
But he maintains that hes happy with the way the special epitomizes his legacy.
I can stand on it, he says.
Not long after Jones shouted Youre lying!
(She later walked this back ina subsequent tweet, clarifying, No one said hes faking cancer.
They questioned its terminal status.)
There was never any proof, Jones says, reflecting on the accusations.
It was just completely out of the blue.
Pressed for more details, Jones says the incident took place over a year ago and he cant remember.
Hes now on Twitter at@ThaQuam.)
The longer Jones lived past his initial timeline, the more fervent the rumors became.
Eventually, the speculation grew so vicious it started affecting his dating and professional lives.
I had to go on theJim & Samshowin 2019 to show receipts of my cancer.
I should never have had to do that!
The shows initially skeptical hosts were eventually forced to concede that Jones was telling the truth.
But now I feel pressure, and the expectations are high … and I feel pressure to die.
I cant live longer than three years with this shit.
You blow that far past your goal, they expect a great special and a casket.
I cant be the Magic Johnson of cancer.
N- - - -s will be like, Is he really sick?
I understand the HBO special … but its been five years!
I think its his time.
In the five years sinceBurning the Lightfirst aired, Jones has had to contend with this fallout.
I had to step away from comedy for a bit, Jones explains.
My agent disappeared, and my manager and I split.
Once the steam stopped, it was back to being by myself.
Ive been learning different elements: writing sketches and pilots and shows and submitting packets.
Doing the same thing Id be doing if I didnt have credits.
Looking toward the future, Jones is excited to get back into performing stand-up post-pandemic.
I got to see the best side of humanityandthe worst side, he explains.
Its funnier and more incisive than a lot of the observational humor inBurning the Light.
As for Joness health, he receives chemotherapy treatments every six weeks and continues to hope for the best.
