JB Smoove

Jerry Angelo Brooks (born December 16, 1965), commonly known by his stage name J. B. Smoove, is an American comedian, actor, and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on '' Def Comedy Jam'', he was a writer and performer on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' (2003–2006). He is best known for his starring roles on HBO's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2007–2024) and the CBS sitcom ''The Millers'' (2013–2015). He also portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the BET improv-comedy reality television parody '' Real Husbands of Hollywood'' (2013–2016).

Early life, family and education

Smoove was born in Plymouth, North Carolina, to Elizabeth and Floyd Brooks. From the time he was three years old, he grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He spent a significant amount of time with his mother and extended maternal family in the Plymouth area, which he has said inspired much of his pursuit of comedy and comedy style. He resided in the Levister Towers housing projects in Mount Vernon with his two younger brothers. His father died from diabetes when Smoove was 15 years old.

In 1983, Smoove graduated from Mount Vernon High School. He attended Norfolk State University in Virginia, studying engineering and graphic design.

Smoove worked as a perfume formulator and sold fire extinguishers door-to-door.

Career

He began his show business career in stand-up comedy, which is when he shortened his name, Jerry Brooks, to "J. B." and added "Smoove" as his last name.

Smoove has had recurring roles on ''Everybody Hates Chris'' and ''Saturday Night Live''. On ''SNL'', he worked as a writer (and had bit roles in sketches, including playing Jimmy "JJ" Walker in a parody of the 1970s sitcom ''Good Times'') and was a recipient of the 2007 Writers Guild of America award for Best Comedy/Variety Series (Including Talk). He worked on ''Saturday Night Live'' for three years.

Smoove was a regular cast member on the HBO comedy ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' beginning in its sixth season in 2007, playing Leon Black. Smoove landed the role after his stint on ''SNL''. Although at that time he lived on the East Coast, he visited Los Angeles for the funeral of his friend, music producer Oji Pierce, enabling him to audition for ''Curb Your Enthusiasm.''

Smoove wrote a book as his ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' character, Leon, which was released on October 10, 2017.

He had a major role for seasons two and three on the FOX network sitcom '''Til Death'' with Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher. In June 2008, he appeared in several episodes of ''The Gong Show with Dave Attell'' as one of the celebrity judges. Smoove was also a cast member on the short-lived sketch comedy program ''Cedric the Entertainer Presents''. He hosted the standup comedy series ''Russell Simmons Presents: Stand-Up at The El Rey'' on Comedy Central in July 2010, and also appeared in ''The Simpsons'' episode " Angry Dad: The Movie" in February 2011. That same year, he starred in the ''American Dad!'' episode " The Worst Stan", and appeared in the episode "Dude, Where's My Wade" in '' Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil''.

In 2012, his first televised comedy special, ''JB Smoove: That's How I Dooz It'', premiered on Comedy Central. The DVD of the special was released April 3, 2012. In 2013, Smoove voiced Hackus in ''The Smurfs 2''. He appeared in ''Movie 43'' in the segment "The Proposition" alongside Anna Faris and Chris Pratt. He was the substitute co-host of the New York City morning talk show '' Good Day New York'' with Rosanna Scotto on April 9, 2012. He made a cameo appearance as a gravedigger in "Barney/Never", an episode of '' Louie''. He also played a supporting role in Season 4, Episode 7, "The Vapora Sport" in the American sitcom ''The League'' on FX. He plays Wheelchair Guy, with whom the main characters have recurring comedic run-ins. He plays one of the "Replacers" for '' Call of Duty: Black Ops II''. He was in the show '' Real Husbands of Hollywood'', playing a fictionalized version of himself.

Smoove hosts ''Four Courses with J.B. Smoove'', a talk show on the MSG Network. He provides the voice of Dr. Ray De Angelo Harris, host of the Chakra Attack radio show in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto V''. Smoove appeared in the 2013 film '' Dealin' with Idiots'' as Coach Ted. In 2013, he became a regular cast member of the CBS comedy ''The Millers'' as Ray.

In the summer of 2014, Smoove hosted the eighth season of the NBC reality series ''Last Comic Standing''. Smoove appeared on comedian Jerry Seinfeld's web series ''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' in July 2016. Also in 2016, Smoove appeared in the web series Epic Rap Battles of History, portraying abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Smoove played Santa Claus in Sia's 2017 music video, " Santa's Coming for Us".

Smoove attended the final dinner service of ''Hell's Kitchens eighteenth season '' Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans'' in 2019 as a chef's table guest in the blue kitchen that was run by runner-up Mia Castro. He appeared as a guest judge on the first season of the FOX reality singing competition '' The Masked Singer''. He voiced Frank in ''Harley Quinn'' beginning in 2019. He played Julius Dell in the Marvel Studios feature film '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019) and its sequel '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021).

In 2020, Smoove starred in ''Mapleworth Murders'' opposite Paula Pell (another former writer for ''Saturday Night Live'') and John Lutz for Quibi, which was produced by, among others, Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers of ''SNL''. Smoove won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for his role.

Smoove and Miles Grose co-host and created ''May I Elaborate? Daily Wisdom from JB Smoove'', a podcast that debuted in April 2021 on the Team Coco podcast network. Beginning in the fall of 2021, Smoove had a recurring role as the titular Caesar in multiple commercials for the Caesars Sportsbook mobile app, appearing alongside Patton Oswalt, Halle Berry, Vince Vaughn, and the Manning family.

Volunteering

Smoove serves on the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon, New York. On November 7, 2017, he emceed the Boys and Girls Clubs Future Leaders Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

Personal life

In 2007, Smoove married singer Shahidah Omar. They reside in Los Angeles. He has an adult daughter named Jerrica from a previous relationship.

He is a fan of the New York Knicks, New York Yankees and the New York Jets.

In 2019, Smoove played for the "Home" roster during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The roster was made up of celebrities with Carolina roots.

He has been vegan since 2018.

Comedy specials

* ''JB Smoove: That's How I Dooz It'' (2012) Retrieved February 22, 2022.

Filmography

Films

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
May I Elaborate? Daily Wisdom from JB Smoove
– podcast
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoove, JB
1965 births
Living people
Male actors from Mount Vernon, New York
African-American stand-up comedians
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male television writers
American male voice actors
American stand-up comedians
American television writers
Comedians from New York (state)
Male actors from New York (state)
Male actors from North Carolina
MSG Network people
Norfolk State University alumni
People from Plymouth, North Carolina
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Screenwriters from North Carolina
Writers from Mount Vernon, New York
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century African-American male actors
21st-century African-American male actors
Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni
African-American male comedians
American male comedians
Comedians from North Carolina