Comedians like Jeff Foxworthy have used it as a punchline to their jokes, adding a humorous element to it. In recent years, the term redneck has taken up kitschy, almost endearing connotations. As with redneck, this term is usually considered derogatory however, both terms have become fairly interchangeable in contemporary times.

In contrast, hillbilly was a term more closely associated with people who lived rural mountainous areas of the United States, mostly in the Appalachians. Historically, the term redneck was a derogatory label applied to poor, uneducated farmers, mostly in the southern United States. While more people live in cities than ever before in human history, many people still have a soft-spot for raunchy redneck culture.