| 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 | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
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 1992 to 1997, and in 2006, it returned in the HBO fall lineup. The show helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.
On September 10 2017, a Netflix special, Def Comedy Jam 25, was filmed at the Beverly Hilton. It was shown on 26 September 2017 and featured many of the comedy stars listed below.[4]
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. 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.
- ^ Allah, Sha Be (2017-09-11). "Def Comedy Jam 25 Launches Sept. 26 On Netflix - The Source". Retrieved 2024-05-07.