Black comedian Mike Epps / Photo by VisitElPaso / CC BY 2.0
Black comedy is the infectious laugh that flows through your vocal chakra as you listen to the side-splitting jokes from Black comedians — the types of jokes that make you stomp your feet and clap your hands — the types of jokes that have you wheezing, sweating, and crying — the types of jokes that make you fall out of your chair, slide down a wall, and beat on a table with your hands — the types of jokes that leave you befuddled and bewildered, but still more entertained than ever.
We see these jokes come from amazing Black comedians like Katt Williams, the late Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Mo’Nique, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Chris Tucker, Eddie Griffin, Lesile Jones, and Sinbad. We watch Black comedy movies like Friday, Norbit, The Nutty Professor, House Party, Eddie & Martin LIFE, Big Momma’s House, White Chicks, Soul Plane, Madea’s Family Reunion, and All about the Benjamins. We watch Black comedy shows like One on One, The Game, My Wife & Kids, Different Strokes, Empire, Insecure, and Black-ish.
Here are a couple of my favorite comedy lines from movies:
“That one might be mine. That one right there, I'm not totally sure. Just because you named him Darren don’t mean he belongs to Darren. But I don’t care what this baby’s name is; this baby is rice-skinned but not light-skinned. That is a white child. That is Caucasian from the mountains of Caucasus. That is a Slavic baby, a Viking from Iceland. That baby got 730 as a credit rating right now as an infant!”
— Katt Williams in School Dance (2014)
“15, 30, 37, 38, 45, 47, 15, 30, 37, 38, 45, 47! 15, 30, 37, 38, dootoo doot dootoo 45, 47! Alright, how much I owe ya? 750! It’s 50! Not 750!”
— Mike Epps in All About the Benjamins (2002)
And some one-liners from the movie B.A.P.S. that are the most memorable (but probably won’t make much sense unless you see the movie… but trust me, they are hilarious!):
“Living large and taking charge, Big Boyyyyy!”
“What kinda welcome is that, wait in theeere!”
“That’s my girl! That’s my girl! Yah! Baby we got this! Booyahhhhh!”
Black comedy plays a vital role in dealing with social and racial issues through humor. It’s a platform for Black voices to challenge stereotypes, critique systemic injustice, and celebrate cultural identity. It fosters connection, resilience, and empowerment, even while it makes us laugh so hard we almost faint!
Anyla McDonald aspires to become a poet, short story writer, and essayist speaking about racism against Black people, current world problems, and hot topics. When she writes, she does it with purpose and passion. She feels destined to touch others with her words, and wants to be known as someone who takes a stand and impacts lives with her writing.
Anyla is a columnist for Tumbleweird and an intern at Taylored
Living Magazine. You can follow her on Instagram: @dreamyy.diorr
