Category Archives: Comedians A by First Name

Comedians A by First Name, Comedians G by Last Name

Adele Givens

On February 3rd, 1990, a Queen was born at the Regal Theater in Chicago. Adele was crowned winner of the Crown Royal Comedy competition in the city of Chicago on February 3rd 1990. Since that day Adele has realized that she was destined to become comedic royalty.

Since then Adele has the rare ability to make you laugh, think, cry, and cringe all at the same time!! Her famous catch line “I am SUCH a #$%@#% Lady” has gone viral. Her work is popular and she can be heard on songs by Big Sean, Lil Kim, The Brat! Her bold and on point insights continue to delight and amaze her fans and peers alike. Popularity was swift with Adele winning many other competitions and securing the respect of comedy lovers everywhere. Almost immediately fans proclaimed Adele Givens the Queen of Comedy. The title is well deserved with such credits as Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam, The All Stars of Def Comedy Jam. Showtime at the Apollo. The Oprah Winfrey show. HBO Comedy half-hour, Comedy Central Presents, Queen Adele has certainly reigned supreme.

adele givens

It wasn’t long before Queen Adele made her acting debut, guest-starring in such sitcoms as Martin, Moesha, The Parkers, The Steve Harvey show, a recurring role on The Tracey Ullman show and becoming a series regular on the hit sitcom The Hughley’s to name a few. Loving her newfound tree, Queen Adele branched out to do her very own morning radio show (The Adele Givens morning show on WGCI 107.5 FM Chicago), but not before filming her first movie role as Tricks in the film, The Player’s Club. Before long, HBO recognized her majesty by offering her a chance to do her own HBO Half-hour comedy special and television pilot The Adele Givens show. Adele also served as co-host of the Source Magazine Awards pre-show. Queen Adele Givens wowed audiences everywhere on the very successful Queens of Comedy tour (13 consecutive sold out dates and the album was nominated for a Grammy Award), and made us laugh out loud as the hip hop loving, bad hair day having, DJ (I’Holla) Helen in the movie Beauty Shop.

Now the Queen of comedy, Grammy nominated artist, Soul Train Comedy Award nominee, and experienced television and film actress, had added the titles writer. Producer and Director to her resume. She is currently filming a movie she wrote and directed (The real extreme and confusing blaxploitation of ….SCANKHOSE.) All this and beautiful too! It’s safe to say that the little girl from Chicago’s west side has done the city proud!

On February 3rd 1990 Queen Adele Givens was crowned the winner of the Crown Royal comedy competition at the Regal Theatre in Chicago! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!

Comedians A by First Name, Comedians S by Last Name

Aries Spears

Ever since Chicago native Aries Spears was 14 years old, he has been a force to be reckoned with in the comedy scene throughout America. His quick wit, charisma and ferociously aggressive style of comedy have earned him critical acclaim, high accolades, and above all, a busy schedule.

Aries Spears at the Comedy House

As a principal cast member on Fox’s hit sketch comedy show Mad TV, Aries brought a fresh, hip style to the already-edgy program from the third through the tenth season. The producers made full use of many of Aries’s talents by calling on him often to create new hilarious characters and write sketches. Some of the many recurring characters that Aries is famous for on the show include: Belma Buttons, Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson, Mike Tyson, Walter (Crackheads), Reggie (Erascist), Dollar Bill Montgomery, Shaquille O’Neal, The Klumps, Michael Jackson, Sisqo, Evander Holyfield, El Diablo Negro and more. Aries also boasts a number of uproarious impersonations on the show that include James Brown, Al Pacino, and his childhood idol Eddie Murphy. The Aries-branded sketch “Talkin’ American” was Mad TV’s most popular bit, keeping fans tuned in and boosting Mad’s ratings impressively on Saturday night.

MAD TV Cast with Aries Spears

Aries has also found great success in the world of feature films. At the age of 17, after being spotted in a comedy club, Aries landed a part in the movie Home of Angels, which also starred Abe Vigoda and Sherman Helmsley, but never saw a theatrical release. He then appeared in Out-of-Sync, and portrayed Red Foxx in Warner Bros.’s Why Do Fools Fall In Love. In addition, Aries starred alongside John Leguizamo in TriStar’s The Pest and delivered his most notable performance to date as Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s brother in Columbia’s blockbuster hit Jerry Maguire.

Aries Spears

Aries was born on April 3, 1975 in Chicago but grew up in New Jersey. He remembers at the young age of six being the funnyman of the household and impersonating family members at the dinner table during holidays. By age 14, Aries was belting out his fresh stylings in front of paying audiences at local clubs around his hometown. Shortly afterwards, he appeared on Russell Simmons’s Def Comedy Jam on HBO and Showtime at the Apollo. The word was out about the prodigal superstar from then on, and in 1992, Aries moved to Los Angeles. He quickly landed a recurring role on NBC’s A Different World, and was signed to a huge development deal at one of the major television studios. The following year, Aries found himself starring in the short-lived CBS series South of Sunset with former Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey. Although the series didn’t last long, it did not discourage other networks from tapping Aries’s talents for their projects, as he soon appeared in Crosstown Traffic and Brisco County, Jr. for Fox. Ultimately, Aries’s fierce momentum landed him on Mad TV as a series regular, where he thrived for eight seasons.

aries-spears-hollywood-look-im-smiling-1

Aries continues to spread his comedic wings with the development of feature film projects, which he is now involved in writing. He is presently developing a feature project based on an original character that he created on Mad TV, as well as a thriller about a young black man immersed in hip-hop culture. Additionally, Aries has made appearances on many talk shows including: Loveline, Vibe, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Soul Train, and Late Friday. He has also lent his voice to an animated character on C-Bear and Jamal and had a recurring stint on Fox’s The Best Damn Sports Show Period, where he created some of the show’s funniest characters during his short time there.

Aries maintains a strong connection to his African roots and is involved in many charitable events, including a number of organizations that help abused women. He feels blessed to have been able to do everything that he has, but he in no way intends on stopping there. Given the extreme growing success rate of action comedies coming out of Hollywood, it’s safe to say that Aries Spears will be in demand for some time.

Comedians A by First Name, Comedians J by Last Name

Ambrose Jones

A laconic, self deprecating comedian, Ambrose Jones embarked his comedy career in Memphis, TN. turning his southern humor and unique point of view into a brand.

Ambrose Jones

July 22, 2015 he showcased his talent on NBC for Last Comic Standing. Kennan Ivory Wayans said he is like a breath of fresh air and reminds him of a country Chris Rock. Ellen DeGeneres tweeted (you killed it on LCS). Jones made it past the invitational round to the Semi-finals.
During the 2nd audition of LCS at Gotham Comedy Club in NYC, he was approached by the owner of the club and ask to film a show called Gotham Live which is a tv show filmed lived at the club and aired on Axs Tv earlier this year.

Ambrose Jones at the Comedy House

Since then Comedian Ambrose Jones remains on the road spreading laughter which is the best medicine because there has never been a recall on it.

Comedians A by First Name, Comedians J by Last Name

Arnez J

To those in the know, Arnez J. one of the hottest, most talked about comedic artists in the game. His raw energy, talent and comedic skill quickly landed Arnez the coveted hosting slot on BET’s longest running comedy series “Comic View” for two seasons joining the ranks of hosts such as D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer. His hilarious comedy special “Racially Motivated” is available on Netflix.

Arnez J

Arnez J.’s charisma and physical agility are unforgettable. “J is a whirling dervish on stage–he runs, jumps, spins, slides, slips, and mugs through a performance, acting out many of his bits while describing them,” wrote Doug Kaufman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Arnez admits of himself “I’ve always expressed my things through mannerisms and facial expressions rather than speaking.”

Arnez J performing at the Comedy House, Berryhill Rd. Columbia SC

On his own at age 14, Arnez lied about his age to get a job at a gas station to work his way through school. With dreams to become a professional baseball player, Arnez began working as a flight attendant when those baseball plans fell through. It was while working as a flight attendant that Arnez discovered his comedic talent. He realized that he had the ability to keep the passengers and crew laughing and, upon encouragement from friends, he made his first attempt at stand-up comedy. After that first night on stage, he knew what he wanted to do. He left his job with the airlines and made the decision to devote all of his time to a career in comedy.

Arnez got a chance to combine his ambitions as both an athlete and performer when he was recruited by scouts for the famed Harlem Globetrotters basketball team who saw his very physical comedy
routine at a local basketball game. However, after several months, a knee injury ended his Globetrotters career, finally clearing the way for him to devote himself full time to standup comedy.

Arnez J

An Atlanta native, Arnez began working the comedy circuit in Georgia and quickly became one of “Hotlanta’s” funniest newcomers. A finalist in the “Bay Area Black Comedy Competition,” he was immediately noticed by the entertainment industry and was asked to make his first television
appearance on Showtime’s “Comedy Club Network.” Numerous television appearances soon followed including appearances on “The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show,” “Louie Anderson’s Comedy Showcase,”
Comedy Central’s “Make Me Laugh,” NBC’s “Friday Night Videos,” “The Mo’Nique Show”, Russell Simmons’ “Def Comedy Jam,” his own BET “Comic View Grandstand Hour Special,” and “Comedy Central Presents: Arnez J.” He was most recently seen headlining Showtime’s “Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam.”

Today, Arnez is widely considered one of the best working artists, with a polished and highly entertaining standup routine that keeps his audiences entertained without having to use profanity. In keeping with his plan, Arnez keeps up a dizzying pace performing for sold out crowds across the country.

Comedians A - C, Comedians A by First Name, Comedians G - J, Comedians H by Last Name, Wall of Comedians

Arsenio Hall

If you ask different people where they first saw Arsenio Hall, you’d probably get a number of different answers. But, it was the success of his Emmy Award-winning late night talk show “The Arsenio Hall Show” that made Arsenio a household name. The versatile actor, comedian and producer first became involved in the arts at “The Cleveland Playhouse” and continued to hone his craft through his Kent State University years.

In 1979, Hall moved from Ohio to Chicago, Illinois where he tried his hand at stand-up comedy and was discovered by Jazz singer Nancy Wilson. In the following few years Arsenio toured, opening for twenty major headliners including Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder. A short time later, Arsenio attempted to diversify his career by making numerous appearances on television shows such as “Solid Gold” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”…and doing his first film cameo in “Amazon Women on the Moon,” directed by John Landis.

Arsenio Hall @ Comedy House HSIn 1987, Arsenio was asked to replace Joan Rivers on the Fox Network series “The Late Show.” On the strength of his work as interim host, he was signed to a film and television deal with Paramount Pictures, which subsequently led to the opportunity to co-write and co-star in the hit (Paramount) comedy “Coming to America.”

On January 3, 1989, “The Arsenio Hall Show” made its debut. Virtually overnight, Arsenio changed the face of late night television by captivating young viewers across the country. During his successful five-year run as Executive Producer, Arsenio provided a forum for cutting edge comedy, politics and the television debut of such pop superstars as Mariah Carey, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Boyz II Men, and countless others. In 1994, Arsenio was again ready to grow and diversify. He resigned from the late night gabfest to pursue other personal and professional interests.

In 1998, Arsenio joined the cast of the CBS dramedy “Martial Law,” playing “Terrell Parker,” a streetwise L.A.P.D. detective, for two years. He followed this up with a two season stint as Host of the new “Star Search” (CBS). And then, taking on his most challenging task to date, he returned to stand-up comedy and toured for the first time in over a decade.