Darryl Lynn Hughley (; born March 6, 1963 or 1964) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Hughley is best known as the original host of BET's ComicView from 1992 to 1993, the eponymous character on the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, and as one of the "Big Four" comedians in The Original Kings of Comedy. Additionally, he has been the host of CNN's D. L. Hughley Breaks the News, a correspondent for The Jay Leno Show on NBC, and a local radio personality and interviewer in New York City. In early 2013, D. L. Hughley landed in ninth place on Dancing with the Stars.
Early life Hughley was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, the son of Audrey and Charles Hughley, who was a Delta Air Lines maintenance worker. He is the second of four children. He stayed in Portsmouth for only two months before his family moved, Hughley grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Hughley's teen years were troubled as he became a member of the notorious street gang, the Bloods, and was expelled from San Pedro High School. However, he eventually turned his back on gang life, got his GED, and obtained employment with the Los Angeles Times.
Career From 1992 to 1993, Hughley was the original host of ComicView, the stand-up comedy program on BET. In 1993, he also appeared in the third season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Will's friend Keith Campbell, a comedian from Philadelphia.
From 1998 to 2002, Hughley wrote, produced and starred in the ABC/UPN sitcom series, The Hughleys, based on his real-life experiences living with his African-American family in an upscale neighborhood. He continued stand-up comedy, joining Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac as one of the "Big Four" comedians performing on the popular Kings of Comedy tour, which led to the film The Original Kings of Comedy (2000).
In 2005, Hughley released a stand-up comedy album "D.L. Hughley: Notes From The GED Section",COMEDY CENTRAL® RECORDS RELEASES "D.L. HUGHLEY: NOTES FROM THE GED SECTION" CD HITTING STORES TUESDAY, JUNE 21 . Comedycentral.com (June 13, 2005). Retrieved on January 1, 2013. and had a short-lived talk show on Comedy Central called Weekends at the D.L.. He also had roles on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and on NBC's Scrubs as Turk's brother. In 2008, he was the host of the BET Awards. He also attended the funeral of one of his best friends and fellow King of Comedy, Bernie Mac where he gave a tearful speech during the eulogy.Thousands Attend Service to Celebrate Life of Bernie Mac Chicago Defender
From 2009 to 2010, Hughley was a correspondent for NBC's The Jay Leno Show. In June 2010, Hughley served as special guest moderator of ABC's The View for one day. Hughley also guest-starred on TBS's Glory Daze in 2010, and guest hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2011.
Hughley's first book, I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America, with contributions from Michael Malice, was published on July 31, 2012, by Crown Archetype Press.D.L. Hughley and Michael Malice (2012) I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America, Crown Archetype . Hughley's second book, Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years, was published on June 6, 2017, by William Morrow.D.L. Hughley (2017) Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years, William Morrow . His third book, How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People with contributions from Doug Moe was published on June 26, 2018, by William Morrow.D.L. Hughley and Doug Moe (2018) How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People, William Morrow . Hughley's fourth book, Surrender, White People: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace with contributions from Doug Moe was published on June 30, 2020, by HarperCollins.D.L. Hughley and Doug Moe (2020) Surrender, White People: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace, HarperCollins . His fifth book, How to Survive America, was published June 15, 2021, with contributions from Doug Moe was published on June 15, 2021, by Custom House.
In 2013, Hughley was a contestant on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with two-time champion Cheryl Burke, finishing in ninth place after being eliminated in the fifth week of competition.
His films roles include Inspector Gadget (1999), The Brothers (2001), Inspector Gadget 2 (2003), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Soul Plane (2004), and Cloud 9 (2006).
He is now hosting a talk show, The D.L. Hughley Show, that premiered on TV One on March 18, 2019.
CNN
Hughley was selected to host and write a comedic news-show on CNN which covers global happenings in politics, entertainment, sports and pop culture, titled D. L. Hughley Breaks the News, which aired its premiere episode on Saturday, October 25, 2008, at 10 p.m. EDT on CNN. On March 9, 2009, CNN announced Hughley would be ending the show due to a desire to work in Los Angeles and be closer to his family. He planned to continue his work with CNN as a Los Angeles-based contributor for the network.D. L. Hughley regrets end of 'D. L. Hughley Breaks the News' New York Daily News
Radio Hughley also has a career as an on-air radio personality. On July 20, 2009, The D.L. Hughley Morning Show premiered on WRKS (now WEPN), more popularly known at the time as 98.7 Kiss FM, an urban adult contemporary station in New York City. His co-hosts included former BET news correspondent Jacque Reid. Airing from 6 to 10 am, the show placed Hughley in direct competition with his fellow "King of Comedy" Steve Harvey, whose nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show airs in New York on WBLS (Kiss FM's longtime rival). There were plans to take Hughley's show into syndication as well, but a dispute regarding his salary erupted between Kiss FM's parent company and the potential syndication company. In August 2010, Kiss FM dropped the show from its schedule, and Hughley moved on to other endeavors.
On August 12, 2013, REACH Media, the syndicator founded by Tom Joyner, announced it had finalized a deal with D.L. to host a new nationally syndicated afternoon drive show, The D.L. Hughley Show, distributed by Cumulus Media Networks.
Personal life Hughley and his wife, LaDonna, have two daughters, Ryan and Tyler, and a son, Kyle.D.L. Hughley: Biography. Tvguide.com. Retrieved on January 1, 2013. Hughley has discussed his son's Asperger syndrome on several occasions.Hughley Discusses Blagojevich and Burris With Congressman Bobby Rush. Transcripts.cnn.com (January 10, 2009). Retrieved on January 1, 2013.
On November 9, 2017, Hughley gave an interview on Angela Yee's Lipservice podcast in which he described having an affair early in his marriage and career. His mistress had become pregnant and had a son; the infant was shaken to death by the infant's mother's boyfriend.
On June 19, 2020, Hughley collapsed while performing at a club in Nashville, Tennessee; the reported cause was exhaustion. Subsequent tests revealed he was positive for COVID-19.
Hughley was initiated as an honorary member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity on July 30, 2020.Omega Psi Phi Inducts George Clinton, D.L. Hughley, Anthony Anderson, and Ted Ginn, Sr. as Honorary Members
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1999 Inspector Gadget Gadgetmobile Voice 2000 The Original Kings of Comedy Himself 2001 The Brothers Derrick West 2003 Inspector Gadget 2 Gadgetmobile Voice/VideoChasing Papi Rodrigo Scary Movie 3 John Wilson 2004 Soul Plane Johnny 2005 Shackles Ben Cross 2006 Cloud 9 Tenspot The Adventures of Brer Rabbit Brer Fox Voice/Video 2007 D.L. Hughley: Unapologetic Host Comedy Special2008D. L. Hughley Breaks the NewsSpy School Albert 2014 D.L. Hughley: Reset Host Comedy Special 2018 D.L. Hughley: Contrarian
Television Year Title Role Notes 1992One Night Stand Himself Comedy Special 1993The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Keith Guest star 1994HBO Comedy Half-Hour Himself Comedy Special 1995Double Rush Marlon Main cast (13 episodes) 1997Sister, Sister Hank Episode: "Slime Party" 1998–2002The Hughleys Darryl Hughley Lead role 2000America's Funniest Home Videos Himself Host in several specials 2001The Parkers Darryl Hughley Crossover appearance 2003Scrubs Kevin Turk Guest starPremium Blend Himself Host 2004The Late Late Show Himself Guest Host 2005Weekends at the D. L.HimselfHost 2006–2007Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Simon Stiles Lead role 2010Hawaii Five-0 Skeet Guest star 2011Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Guest host 2012DL Hughley: The Endangered List DL Hughley Executive producer, star,Comedy Central Premieres DL HUGHLEY: THE ENDANGERED LIST Today, 10/27 – BWWComedyWorld.com . Comedy.broadwayworld.com (October 27, 2012). Retrieved on January 1, 2013. won a Peabody Award72nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2013. 2013Dancing with the Stars Himself ContestantTrust Me, I'm a Game Show Host Himself Co-host 2016Heartbeat Dr. HackettMatch Game Himself Panelist 2017The Comedy Get Down Himself 2018The Fix Himself Team Captain 2019The D.L. Hughley Show Himself Host2021–2022JohnsonEugene Johnson 2023The Daily ShowGuest Host4 episodes (Week of Jan. 30) The NeighborhoodHimself
Books I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America (with Michael Malice), Crown Archetype, 2012. Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years (with Michael Malice), William Morrow, 2016. How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People (with Doug Moe), William Morrow, 2018. Surrender, White People: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace (with Doug Moe), William Morrow, 2020. How to Survive America (with Doug Moe), Custom House, 2021.
References
External links
The D.L. Hughley Show D.L. Hughley at the Comedy Hall of Fame