Malik Yusef: Blowing Money Fast
"[I'm] not necessarily a bachelor, but I look at marriage as not for me. Maybe that will change at some point, but right now, I see many of my married friends who are so miserable. And I'm looking at that thinking, 'Man, maybe I don't need that.'"
-- Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx on the possibility of marriage. (Uptown magazine)
Popular Black Comedians
Mo'Nique
Started Out: Appearing at the downtown Baltimore Comedy Factory Outlet. Big Break: Starred on the hit UPN sitcom 'The Parkers.' Hometown: Baltimore Also Was Seen: In 'Three Can Play That Game,' 'Hair Show' and 'Shadowboxer.' Factoid: Born in 1967, Mo'Nique (real name: Monique Imes) is the author of 'Skinny Women are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World' and the cookbook 'Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted.'
George Wallace
Started Out: Doing a completely improvised routine in a New York City comedy club circa 1977. Big Break: Worked as a writer for 'The Redd Foxx Show.' Hometown: Atlanta Also Was Seen: In the movies 'The Ladykillers' and 'Batman Forever.' Factoid: Born in 1952, Wallace owns and operates one of Las Vegas' most popular stand-up comedy shows -- his very own at the legendary Flamingo.
Damon Wayans
Started Out: As a stand-up comic on the syndicated TV show 'Solid Gold.' Big Break: Starred in the hit 1990s sketch comedy show 'In Living Color,' along with family members Keenan Ivory Wayans, Kim Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans. Hometown: New York City Also Was Seen: In 'Beverly Hills Cop,' 'Mo Money' and 'Marci X.' Factoid: Born in 1960, Wayans served as the executive producer of '413 Hope St.,' a short-lived drama on the FOX network starring Richard Roundtree and Jesse L. Martin, which premiered in 1997.
Chris Rock
Started Out: Doing stand-up comedy in 1985 in New York City's Catch a Rising Star Comedy Club. Big Break: Was a cast member of the popular sketch comedy series 'Saturday Night Live.' Hometown: New York City Also Was Seen: In the movie 'New Jack City,' where he played a crackhead informant. Factoid: Born in 1965, Rock won a Grammy for best spoken comedy album in 1999 for the project 'Bigger & Blacker.'
Paul Mooney
Started Out: As a writer for the groundbreaking sitcoms 'The Richard Pryor Show' and 'Sanford and Son.' Big Break: Creating the character Homie the Clown for the irreverent sketch comedy show 'In Living Color.' Hometown: Louisiana Also Was Seen: In the movies 'Hollywood Shuffle,' and 'Bamboozled.' Factoid: Born in 1941, Mooney recorded racially charged comedy albums - via Stepsun Records - during the 1990s and gained newfound notoriety as Negrodamus on the hit Comedy Central series 'Chappelle's Show.'
Wanda Sykes
Started Out: Began her stand-up career at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington, D.C. Big Break: Played multiple roles on Chris Rock's Emmy Award-winning HBO show. Hometown: Portsmouth, Va. Also Was Seen: In the movies 'Monster-in-Law' and 'Pooty Tang' and on the TV shows 'Wanda At Large,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'The New Adventures of Old Christine.' Factoid: During a Las Vegas gay rights rally in November 2008, Sykes proclaimed she was "proud to be gay."
Whoopi Goldberg
Started Out: In 1984, her one-woman show – directed by Mike Nichols -- became a Broadway hit. Big Break: The Steven Spielberg-directed movie 'The Color Purple,' in which she made her debut and won an Academy Award nomination. Hometown: New York City Also Was Seen: In 'Jumping Jack Flash,' 'Made in America,' 'Sister Act' and 'Ghost,' for which she won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as a colorful and crafty clairvoyant. Factoid: Born in 1955, Goldberg (real name: Caryn Elaine Johnson) became a co-host of ABC's long-running talk show, 'The View,' in 2007.
Dave Chappelle
Started Out: Cutting his teeth on the New York City comedy circuit. Big Break: He co-wrote and starred in the 1998 stoner film 'Half Baked.' Hometown: Washington, D.C. Also Was Seen: In the movies 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights,' 'Blue Streak,' 'The Nutty Professor' and 'Undercover Brother.' Factoid: Born in 1973, Chappelle (real name: David Anand Khari Webber Chappelle) helmed his eponymous Comedy Central show, which was wildly popular until he walked away in the middle of its third season.
Chris Tucker
Started Out: Small parts in TV shows such as 'Roseanne' and 'Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.' Big Break: Playing Ice Cube's sidekick in the 1985 comedy movie 'Friday.' Hometown: Atlanta Also Was Seen: In the movies 'Money Talks,' 'The Fifth Element' and the blockbuster 'Rush Hour' movie franchise. Factoid: Born in 1972, Tucker endorsed Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries even though he traveled overseas with President Bill Clinton.
Finesse Mitchell
Started Out: Appeared on BET's 'Comic View' in 1999. Big Break: Was a cast member on 'Saturday Night Live' in 2003. Hometown: Atlanta Also Was Seen: In the movies 'Who's Your Caddy?' 'The Comebacks' and 'Mad Money.' Factoid: Born in 1972, the University of Miami graduate authored the book 'Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much.'
Comments: (95)
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By: heidi on 5/01/2009 11:25AM
who cares what he thinks, i saw him on american idol singing he was horrible
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By: tori on 5/01/2009 11:51AM
I wouldn't even want to date this slimeball. After what he said on his radio show about Miley Cyrus which were really dirty remarks and very disgusting I wouldn't want anyone I know to date him either. He's a lowlife!!
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By: matsarxx on 5/01/2009 11:52AM
I have been in some very, very bad relationships including one ill-advised marriage. I thought that all marriages had their ups & downs, and that living with somebody 24/7 was bound to make both parties a little crazy. I thought that anger & resentment in relationships was unavoidable after that initial lust wore off, and that people just learned to deal with those negative feelings eventually because they "loved" the other person so much. After my marriage collapsed, I was skeptical about dating and pretty much had decided that I didn't want or need another person in my life at all. And then I met my fiance. He showed me what a loving, supportive, positive relationship feels like. He demonstrated that I can trust him in every situation. We have similar values and beliefs, and I know that even in my absence he makes the same decision that I would have made. We have different interests (he geeks out to sci-fi; I like antiques & wine tastings), but at the core we really complement each other. We've been together 5 years & have never felt the resentment, mistrust, anger, or general lack of respect that I experienced in prior relationships. While I understand that people feel cynical about love and marriage - I certainly was, myself! - I also think that it's important to wait for the right person before committing. And, again, never say never; an honest relationship is possible with the right person, and that person could be just around the corner. After all, I met my Mr. Right in the unlikeliest of places: a gay bar on goth night. We were both there because we DIDN'T want to meet anyone. Yes, we're both straight, so a gay bar seemed like a pretty good place to hide. Funny how that worked out!
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By: David on 5/01/2009 11:59AM
I think it says a lot about our culture. If he doesn't want to settle down and take a wife as G-d intended then that is his choice. But I will ask, as we see with most men of color in his position, how many of us will allow him to be a role model to our children or hail him for his views? We then keep the vicious cycle of our young men and women wanting whatever they want whenever they want without regard to themselves or the people around them.
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By: Vickie on 5/01/2009 12:00PM
Maybe he's right. Jaime Foxx strikes me as being very intelligent and great at all he commands, but it takes two very grounded, responsible, gracious, selfless adults to marry for all the right reasons in order to get through what life throws at us. Either he does not have what it takes or he has not met the right person yet. We all need a ying to our yang.
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By: Raffaele Zuccaro on 5/01/2009 12:10PM
He is just like most Celebs, If you can get laid by the "groupies" where ever you go, and PAY prostitutes for sevices rendered, why take a chance on marriage??? Your life-style is NO DIFFERENT than most Hollywood "stars", Pimps, Whores or what have you???
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By: jim forrester on 5/01/2009 12:13PM
jamie, is probably better suited for single life. jealously problem ? he admits to it. we don't need another domestic violence guy out there, especially telling 16years they need to do a little herion
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By: Nina on 5/01/2009 12:21PM
With his goofy looks the only reason a woman would marry him would be for money.
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By: Bill on 5/01/2009 12:21PM
The only happily married people I know are gay because they don't take it for granted. These days heterosexuals are trading in spouses like hotcakes!
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By: Sal on 5/01/2009 12:23PM
Until he said such stupid things about Miley Cyris, he was a favorite, but now he doesn't exist.
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