Reginald Darnell Hunter (born March 26, 1969) is an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

based in the United Kingdom.

Early life

Reginald Darnell Hunter was born on March 26, 1969, in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, the youngest of nine.Maxwell, Dominic (March 10, 2007).
The N-word is out
. ''The Times'' (Times Newspapers). He undertook an acting internship in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, at age 20.

Career

Stand-up

Having initially travelled to the UK at the age of 27 as a summer student at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

, Hunter became a comedian after performing his first comedy set as a dare, for which he received £100. Realising that he enjoyed performing comedy, and that it might be profitable, he turned his attention from acting to stand-up. In 2006 and 2008, Hunter participated in Project X Presents events. In 2013 he toured Ireland with his show ''In the Midst of Crackers''. Hunter often uses variations of the term "

nigga ''Nigga'' (), also known as "''the N-word''", is a colloquial term in African-American Vernacular English that is considered as a vulgar word in most contexts of its use. It began as a dialect form of the word ''nigger'', an ethnic slur agai ...

" in the titles of his shows. In 2006, ''Reginald D Hunter: Pride & Prejudice... & Niggas'' attracted some controversy, and the poster was banned from the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

. His tour with Steve Hughes, called ''Trophy Nigga'', played 55 venues around the UK, but not all the venues used the tour title. Hunter joked that this was because promoters didn't like the word "trophy". In April 2013, Hunter performed at an engagement for the Professional Footballers' Association. Following the event, PFA chairman

Clarke Carlisle Clarke James Carlisle (born 14 October 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender and was chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association. Born in Pr ...

accused Hunter of racism, as he had used the word "nigger" during his set. Carlisle also said that some of those present had found Hunter's material "highly offensive". In response, Hunter posted to his

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page many photos of himself taken after his set with people attending the event, with most smiling. Reviewing Hunter's 2024 stand-up tour in ''The Standard'', Bruce Dessau wrote that Hunter "moves elegantly from big topic to big topic, concisely skewering each subject", describing him as "a truly talented comedian". Writing in the ''Edinburgh Evening News'', Kevin Quinn described Hunter in his most recent performances as "still not for the faint-hearted and easily offended," commenting that "he does seem a lot more reflective in middle-age".

Edinburgh Fringe 2024 antisemitism incident

In August 2024, during the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

, Hunter made a joke referencing a Channel 5 documentary about domestic abuse, telling the audience: "When I saw that, I thought, my God, it’s like being married to Israel." During one performance, a British-Israeli couple in the front row objected to the joke, telling Hunter it was "not funny", after which they were booed by fellow audience members, some of whom shouted, "You're not welcome". The couple then left. Later in his performance, Hunter referenced a review of one of his shows in ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

'' which was behind a paywall, saying, "Typical fucking Jews, they won’t tell you anything unless you subscribe. It's just a joke". Campaign Against Antisemitism criticised his antisemitism, while also referring to his 2006 joke about freedom of thought and the banning of

Holocaust denial Historical negationism, Denial of the Holocaust is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that asserts that the genocide of Jews by the Nazi Party, Nazis is a fabrication or exaggeration. It includes making one or more of the following false claims: ...

in some countries. A planned show at the Eastwood Theatre in

Giffnock Giffnock (; ; , ) is a town and the administrative centre of East Renfrewshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies east of Barrhead, east-southeast of Paisley and northwest of East Kilbride, at the southwest of the Greater G ...

, which has Scotland's largest Jewish congregation, was cancelled by the

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire (; ) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood (district), Eastwood district of the Strathclyde region. The northeastern part of the council area is close to Glasgow and ma ...

Culture and Leisure organisation because of, they said, "a commitment to our community, and to our values of diversity and inclusion".

Police Scotland Police Scotland (), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottis ...

concluded that "no crime was established." Hunter commented after the event that he is "staunchly anti-war and anti-bully", saying that "as a comedian, I do push boundaries in creating humour". British comedy news website Chortle later named the couple as Mark Lewis, a lawyer who came to prominence representing the victims of newspaper phone hacking, and Mandy Blumenthal, the national director of Likud-Herut UK. Lewis is a longstanding patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Prosecution and Warrant

The Campaign Against Antisemitism brought a

private prosecution A private prosecution is a criminal proceeding initiated by an individual private citizen or private organisation (such as a prosecution association) instead of by a public prosecutor who represents the state. Private prosecutions are allowed in ...

against Hunter alleging three offences under section 127 of the

Communications Act 2003 The Communications Act 2003 (c. 21) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act, which came into force on 25 July 2003, superseded the Telecommunications Act 1984. The new act was the responsibility of Culture Secretary Tessa ...

, relating to posts he allegedly published on X in September 2024. Hunter failed to appear at the initial hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on 30 May 2025, and a warrant was issued by the court requiring him to attend at a future date.

Broadcast

Audio

Hunter was one of the hosts of the ''E4 Laughs at Edinburgh'' podcast, showcasing the best comedy talent from the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has had numerous appearances on the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

comedy show '' The Unbelievable Truth''. He also appeared on ''

Midweek ''MidWeek'' is a weekly United States tabloid shopper and advertisement periodical published Wednesday in Honolulu, Hawaii and distributed throughout the Islands of Oahu and Kauai. It is owned by Black Press and is a sister publication of th ...

'' (BBC Radio 4) on November 15, 2011.

Television

Hunter made his TV debut on Channel 4's '' The 11 O'Clock Show'' in 1998. He has since appeared many times.

Awards

Hunter was nominated for the Perrier Award in the 2003 and 2004

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

s. He won the Writers' Guild Award for Comedy in 2006 for his show ''Pride & Prejudice... & Niggas.''

Personal life

His mother died in 2004. He has a daughter, born in 2002.

Television credits

Hunter's credits include: 1998 * ''The 11 O'Clock Show'' (Channel 4) 2004 * ''Does Doug Know'' (Channel 4) * ''Boozy Britain'' (Channel 4) * ''Comedy Store Stand-up'' (Channel 5) * ''

8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (stylised as ''8 out of 10 CATS'') is a British comedy panel show that aired from 3 June 2005 to 17 January 2021. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2015, then More4 from 2016 to 2017, and finally E4 from ...

'' (Channel 4) * ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...

'' (BBC Two) * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) 2007 * '' News Knight'' (ITV1) * ''

'' (Channel 4) * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) 2008 * '' Good News Week'' (TEN) AUS * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * '' Spicks and Specks'' (ABC1) AUS * '' Trexx and Flipside'' (BBC Three) * '' Lawro and the Warlocks of Doom'' (6 Music) 2009 * '' QI'' (BBC Four / One / Two) * ''Good News Week'' (TEN) AUS * '' Argumental'' ( Dave) * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * ''

'' (Channel 4) * '' You Have Been Watching'' (Channel 4) * ''Spicks and Specks'' (ABC1) AUS * '' Would I Lie to You?'' (BBC One) * '' It's Only a Theory'' (BBC Four) * '' Live at the Apollo'' (BBC One) 2010 * '' The Bubble'' (BBC Two) * ''Spicks and Specks'' (ABC1) AUS * ''

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme featured Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show ...

'' (BBC One) * '' You Have Been Watching'' (Channel 4) * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * '' The Green Room with Paul Provenza'' (Showtime) 2011 * ''Stand and Deliver'' (RTÉ 2) IRL * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * ''This Week'' (BBC One - UK politics show) * '' Something for the Weekend'' (BBC Two) * '' The Hour'' (STV) * '' Dave's One Night Stand'' (Dave) 2012 * ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...

'' (BBC One) * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * '' Channel 4's Comedy Gala'' (Channel 4) * ''

'' (Channel 4) * '' QI'' (BBC One) 2013 * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * '' Was It Something I Said?'' (Channel 4) 2014 * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) * '' QI'' (BBC Four / One / Two) 2015 * ''Reginald D Hunter's Songs of the South'' (BBC One)"Reginald D Hunter's Songs of the South"
BBC Two. * ''

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of '' Countdown'', but presented in a comedy panel show format seen on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', with the show being a crossover of the two. ...

'' (Channel 4) 2016 * Acting role in '' Man Down'' - 1 episode 2018 * ''Reginald D Hunter's Songs of the Border'' (BBC Two) * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) 2020 * '' Have I Got News for You'' (BBC One) 2021 * '' Richard Osman's House of Games'' (BBC One)

Notes

External links

*
"'Why should I be censored?'"
''London Evening Standard'', December 1, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2012 * Helen Lewis
"Reginald D Hunter: 'Old and middle-class people, if you scare them, they vote'"
''New Statesman'', June 23, 2011, Retrieved March 3, 2012
E4 Laughs at Edinburgh
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Reginald D 1969 births Living people 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American male comedians American male comedians African-American stand-up comedians African-American television personalities Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art American expatriates in the United Kingdom American expatriate male actors American male television actors American stand-up comedians People from Albany, Georgia 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Comedians from Georgia (U.S. state)