comedy
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Jimmy Kimmel Comes Under Fire for Unearthed Blackface Skit and N-Word Usage
Jimmy Kimmel has had a really interesting week, and it’s only Tuesday. The late-night talk show host announced Thursday that he will take a leave of absence from his ABC show starting in July in order to spend time with his family. While he’s on hiatus, different guests will rotate and host the show on…
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Dave Chappelle Discusses Police Brutality, Candace Owens and More in Netflix Special 8:46
In a new (and surprise) Netflix comedy special, Dave Chappelle is back and as usual, has his finger on the pulse of America. In the special 8:46, which was uploaded to YouTube for free on Thursday evening, the iconic comedian discusses the national protests stemming from George Floyd’s death and a slew of other pressing…
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Momma, What Happens When You Make It? Yvonne Orji on Her Comedy Special and Friendships After Success
Yvonne Orji is not Molly, y’all. She just plays her on TV (on HBO’s Insecure, in fact). But, there’s a part of her that can relate to Molly and Issa Dee’s devolving friendship. Writer’s Note: There are spoilers from Insecure Ep. 409 included in this article. With the super success of Insecure, her podcast (with…
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Black Second City Alumni Demand Racism and Sexual Misconduct Investigation Within Comedy Industry
As we watch the imploding of legacy media and public accountability of entertainment brands and companies happening in real-time, this definitely seems to be a time of reckoning. Today’s spotlight is on the comedy industry. According to Deadline, Chris Redd (Saturday Night Live), Amber Ruffin (Late Night With Seth Meyers), Sam Richardson (Veep) and Aasia…
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Does the Most Insecure President Ever Watch Insecure?
Before I became an entertainment writer at The Root, I wrote general news for another publication. Writing anything outside of the entertainment beat wasn’t my favorite thing to do, but it was the job. Now that I’m here, I often revel in the fact that it’s not really likely I’ll ever have to write about…
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First Look: Sherman's Showcase Is Bringing Black History Month to June and Adding Kente Cloth to Everything
You thought Black History Month ended in February? Well, Sherman’s Showcase has some news for you. The comedy sketch series will be bringing that same Black History Month energy to June with its special, “Black History Month Spectacular,” debuting on Juneteenth, of course. “Sherman’s Showcase host Sherman McDaniels has dreamed of doing a Black History…
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Living Single's Erika Alexander Reveals She Almost Wasn't Cast in Role of 'Maxine'
“Maxine Shaw, Attorney-at-Law” is one of the beloved main characters from the hit ‘90s sitcom Living Single, as portrayed by Erika Alexander. The show would be entirely different without Max’s playful energy, and a new Facebook video interview with Alexander reveals that at one point, she wasn’t sure if the role would be hers to…
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Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and More Slated to Perform During Feeding America's Livestream Comedy Festival
Laughter is some of the best medicine during trying times such as this pandemic, which is why some of the biggest names in comedy are coming together for a great cause. Standup and sketch comedy stars like Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Marlon Wayans, Sheryl Underwood, Kenan Thompson and many more are…
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First Look Clip: A #BlackAF Dinner With a Side of White Gaze
Kenya Barris is Black-ish no more; now, he’s #BlackAF. Netflix breaks it down: Loosely inspired by Barris’ irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, #blackAF flips the script on what we’ve come to expect a family comedy series to be. Pulling back the curtain, #blackAF uncovers the messy, unfiltered and…
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Per Usual, Black Women Tried to Tell Y'all: A Black Lady Sketch Show's Apocalypse Sketch Was Ahead of Its Time
Somewhere lying on a couch awaiting a kid to come hand her the remote that’s only a few inches away from her is a black woman twisting her face in an incredulous smirk because she knew this was coming—and she tried to tell y’all. That woman is portrayed by Robin Thede, creator of HBO’s A…