A veteran stand-up comic who inspires both admiration and ire with his brutally honest, unabashedly liberal humor, this Los Angeles native ran with gangs as a teen until his cousin's murder prompted him to clean up his act. While working as a telemarketer, he met his future wife, who encouraged him to embark on an entertainment career. Hughley's autobiographical routines made him a hit on the comedy circuit, which led to frequent appearances on
Def Comedy Jam and a spot as the host of BET's
Comic View. In 1998 he created and starred in the family-friendly sitcom
The Hughleys, based on his own experience of moving from the inner city to the suburbs. During his tenure, his career got a big boost from the Spike Lee-directed concert film
The Original Kings of Comedy. Though
The Hughleys ended in 2002, Hughley kept busy with a variety of hosting gigs and frequent talk-show appearances, notably on
Real Time with Bill Maher. In 2005, he hosted a late night talk show on Comedy Central called
Weekends at the D.L. A year later, he landed a part as a late-night sketch-comedy star on Aaron Sorkin's
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but the series never gained an audience and was canceled. He quickly moved on to the HBO stand-up special
D.L. Hughley: Unapologetic (2007), and did an
Unapologetic stand-up tour. In 2008, CNN made him the host of a show, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, which ended when he opted to be closer to his family. He stayed on CNN as a contributor, and began hosting a morning radio show on the New York station KISS-FM.
D.L. Hughley Fast Facts:
- Served as the first host of BET's Comic View in 1992.
- Costarred with Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and Bernie Mac in Spike Lee's 2000 documentary The Original Kings of Comedy.
- Provided the voice of Gadgetmobile in 1999's Inspector Gadget movie and the 2003 sequel.
- Has headlined a number of HBO comedy specials including D.L. Hughley: Going Home (1999), Shocked and Appalled (2005) and D.L. Hughley: Unapologetic (2007).
- In 2008, he was chosen to host a CNN show called D.L. Hughley Breaks the News.
- D.L. Hughley Relationships:
- Audrey Hughley - Mother
- Charles Hughley - Father
- Tyler Hughley - Daughter
- LaDonna Hughley - Wife
- Kyle Hughley - Son
- Ryan Hughley - Daughter