D. L. Hughley
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Darryl Lynn "D.L." Hughley (born March 6, 1963) is an African-American actor and comedian and star of the sitcom The Hughleys which ran from 1998 to 2002 first on ABC and then on UPN.
D.L. Hughley grew up in South Central Los Angeles and had a rough upbringing, getting kicked out of high school and becoming a member of the notorious Bloods gang. After his cousin was shot, D.L. Hughley turned his life around, got a GED and a job and, after prompting by his wife, LaDonna, tried his hand at stand-up comedy. His comedy was a huge success and he was eventually picked to be the first host of BET's Comicview in 1992.
By 1997, Hughley went on a nationwide stand-up comedy tour with Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac as the Kings of Comedy. The comedy act would later be put into a film by Spike Lee called The Original Kings of Comedy.
In 1998, Hughley was given his own TV sitcom, The Hughleys, on ABC. It received high ratings in its first season, thanks to a lead-in by the popular Home Improvement. However, by the following season, the show was moved to the low-rating TGIF segment on Friday nights and the ratings tanked. In 2000, ABC cancelled the show, but it was granted a reprieve by UPN, which ran it for an additional two seasons before being cancelled again.
During this time, Hughley began working on an acting career, providing the voice of the Gadgetmobile in the 1999 movie, Inspector Gadget and performing in Scary Movie 3. He also stuck with his stand-up comedy roots, becoming host of Comedy Central's Premium Blend in 2003.