| Def Comedy Jam | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Stand-up comedy |
| Created by |
|
| Directed by | Stan Lathan |
| Presented by | Martin Lawrence |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | March 7, 1992 – May 2, 1997 |
| Related | |
Def Comedy Jam is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons, Stan Lathan, and Bob Sumner.[1][2][3] The series was hosted by Martin Lawrence and Joe Torry in its first six seasons and by D. L. Hughley for its seventh and eighth seasons.
Simmons and long-time collaborator Lathan were inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and The Comedy Act Theatre in Los Angeles, California. They teamed up with Def Jam Records label executive and veteran comedy scout Sumner to launch the show. The series had its original run from March 7, 1992 to May 2, 1997 and in 2006 it returned in the HBO fall lineup. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.
Notable Performers[edit]
- Kid Capri
- Katt Williams
- Dave Chappelle
- Mike Epps
- Jamie Foxx
- Adele Givens
- Eddie Griffin
- D.L. Hughley
- Martin Lawrence
- Bernie Mac
- Tracy Morgan
- Monique Hicks
- Leslie Segar
- Sommore
- Chris Tucker
- Chris Rock
- Sheryl Underwood
- John Witherspoon
- Tj Mackie
Spin-offs[edit]
The show produced a spinoff called Loco Slam.[4]
Home media[edit]
The show was released on DVD boxsets in the US and the UK.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Williams, Frank B. (1997-03-13). "STAGE; Totally 'Def'; Spinoff of HBO's hit comedy showcase comes to CSUN". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ "Has Black Comedy Been Beaten Blue? : 'Def Comedy Jam' is a hit--but with some African American comics turning to cable shows that limit the raunchiness, clean and subtle could be the wave of the future". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (1993-07-08). "Review/Television; Onstage at the Outer Limits of the Outrageous". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ Braxton, Greg (1994-02-20). "Loco Hopes to Hit Grand Slam for Latinos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "Def Comedy Jam Classics, Vols. 1 and 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
External links[edit]
- HBO - Def Comedy Jam Archived 2009-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
- Def Comedy Jam 25 on Netflix
- Def Comedy Jam at IMDb
