Darryl Lynn Hughley (; born March 6, 1963) 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
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
's ''
D. L. Hughley Breaks the News'', a correspondent for ''
The Jay Leno Show
''The Jay Leno Show'' is an American prime time talk show hosted by Jay Leno that was broadcast by NBC from September 14, 2009, to February 9, 2010. The series was a spiritual successor to his previous late-night talk show ''The Tonight Show wit ...
'' on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
, 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
''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
''.
Early life
Hughley was born in
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
, the son of Audrey and Charles Hughley, who was a
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
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
South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown.
It is de ...
. 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
Ged or GED may refer to:
Places
* Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India
* Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED
People
* Ged B ...
, and obtained employment with the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''.
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 Fresh Prince of Bel Air as Will's friend Keith Campbell, a comedian from Philadelphia. From 1998 to 2002, he wrote, produced and starred in the television sitcom series, ''
The Hughleys,'' based on his real-life experiences living with his African-American family in an upscale neighborhood. During 2005, he released a stand-up comedy album "D.L. Hughley: Notes From The GED Section" and had a short-lived talk show on Comedy Central called ''
Weekends at the D.L.'' He is a member of ''
The Original Kings of Comedy'', and has also had roles on ''
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is an American comedy-drama television series created for NBC and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series was about the production of a live comedy series similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. Produced by ...
'', and on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
Scrubs'' as
Turk's brother. In 2008, he was the host of the
BET Awards
The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...
. 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.
In June 2010, Hughley served as special guest moderator of ABC's ''
The View'' for one day.
Hughley guest-starred on TBS's ''
Glory Daze'' and guest hosted ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (WWTBAM) is an international television game show franchise of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show), British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, cu ...
''.
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.
Hughley was a contestant on
season 16 of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
''. He was partnered with two-time champion
Cheryl Burke.
Hughley's second book, ''Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years'', was published on June 6, 2017, by William Morrow.
Hughley's 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.
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.
Hughley's latest book, ''How to Survive America'', was published June 15, 2021, with contributions from Doug Moe was published on June 15, 2021, by Custom House.
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
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
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.
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
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
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
Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and producer. He hosts ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', ''Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud'', '' ...
, whose nationally syndicated ''
Steve Harvey Morning Show'' airs in New York on
WBLS
WBLS (107.5 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary radio format, formatted FM broadcasting, FM radio station, city of license, licensed to New York, New York. It is currently owned and operated by Mediaco Holding, along with sister station WQHT (97 ...
(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
Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), whi ...
.
Personal life
Hughley and his wife, LaDonna, have two daughters, Ryan and Tyler, and a son, Kyle. Hughley has discussed his son's
Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...
on several occasions.
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
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
; the reported cause was exhaustion. Subsequent tests revealed he was positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
.
Hughley was initiated as an honorary member of
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University. Omega Psi Phi is a founding member of ...
fraternity on July 30, 2020.
Omega Psi Phi Inducts George Clinton, D.L. Hughley, Anthony Anderson, and Ted Ginn, Sr. as Honorary Members
/ref>
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
The D.L. Hughley Show
D.L. Hughley at the Comedy Hall of Fame
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughley, D. L.
1963 births
Male actors from Los Angeles
American male film actors
African-American male actors
African-American television producers
Television producers from California
African-American stand-up comedians
African-American television talk show hosts
American television talk show hosts
Living people
American male voice actors
American stand-up comedians
American male television actors
CNN people
Former gang members
Comedians from Los Angeles
Film producers from California
21st-century American comedians
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
San Pedro High School alumni
Comedians from Virginia