Deon Cole Gets Candid About ‘Average Joe’ Season 2, Rejection, Faith and Breaking the Comedy Box

Vibes & Views celebrated the new season of the Paramount+ series with an intimate private screening and Q&A on Aug. 24 at The Vinyl Room at Soho House in New York City. Following the screening, Average Joe star Deon Cole joined PopViewers founder Chris Witherspoon for a candid conversation about the series, his career and the unexpected path that brought him here.

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The new season takes the chaos beyond Pittsburgh and all the way to Cape Town, South Africa, as Joe once again finds himself trying to protect his family while being pulled deeper into a dangerous world he never asked to enter.

For viewers who haven't watched the series yet, the premise starts with an ordinary man facing a very unordinary discovery: after his father's death, Joe learns that his dad had secretly stolen millions of dollars from dangerous people.

What follows is part crime thriller, part dark comedy and part family drama, with Cole getting the opportunity to show audiences much more than the comedy he's best known for.

During the Q&A, Witherspoon asked Cole about intentionally taking roles that prevent audiences from placing him in one box.

Cole's answer was simple: "Absolutely."

He explained that appearing in projects outside of traditional comedy has been intentional, allowing him to break away from expectations of what a comedian is supposed to look like onscreen.

"If you're going to act, act," Cole told the audience.

That range is part of what makes Average Joe work. Cole can deliver the humor audiences expect from him, but Joe is also vulnerable, scared, complicated and constantly forced to make difficult decisions.

Season 2 gives him even more room to explore those layers, with a larger story, new setting and higher stakes. The conversation also offered an unexpectedly honest look at Cole's own journey.

"Whatever you see me [in], I never auditioned to get it," Cole shared. "Anything I ever auditioned for, I never got."

For an entertainer with a career spanning television, film, stand-up and writing, the admission was surprising.

But it fit a larger message Cole returned to throughout the evening: careers don't always happen according to plan.

He spoke about trusting God instead of trying to figure out every step, maintaining good intentions and remaining open to where life takes you.

It's a message that feels surprisingly connected to Average Joe itself, a story about an ordinary person navigating a life he could never have planned.

Should You Watch Season 2?

Yes.

Average Joe manages to balance action, crime, family drama and comedy without losing what makes Cole so entertaining to watch. And Season 2 expands the world considerably, giving viewers a bigger adventure while keeping Joe and the people he loves at the center of it.

If you've already watched Season 1, expect the stakes to rise.

And if you haven't watched yet, this might be the perfect time to catch up.

Season 2 of Average Joe is streaming now on Paramount+.