# Are their any black comedians whose material doesn't revolve around blackness itself? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554 "2004-03-16T01:57:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colinmarshall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Colinmarshall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colinmarshall)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/1 "2004-03-16T01:57:42Z")
Subject line says it all, more or less. I’ve just been wondering if there are any black stand-up comedians (whether they’ve moved on from stand-up or not) whose subject matter doesn’t revolve around (a) being black or (b) white people. Not that I care that those subjects are so prevalent, but it’s a bit odd that they don’t veer much from those angles, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/2 "2004-03-16T01:59:31Z")
Bill Cosby Godfrey Cambridge From what I’ve seen of Bert Williams, he’s pretty universal. ---
**Author:** ![Colinmarshall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Colinmarshall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colinmarshall)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/3 "2004-03-16T02:12:22Z")
_Doi._ Forgot about Bill Cosby… (slaps forehead) ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/4 "2004-03-16T02:17:47Z")
Wayne Brady. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/5 "2004-03-16T02:33:30Z")
What else is a comedian supposed to joke about if not his own life? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/6 "2004-03-16T02:50:37Z")
Feh. I wanna see a Monty Python sketch that doesn’t revolve around Britishness. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/7 "2004-03-16T02:53:45Z")
All the classic Godfrey “Just call me God.” Cambridge bits from the '60s that I can recall are based on his ethnicity. Stuff about “Zulu”, flying into Las Vegas, taking care of the yard at his new house, etc. We’re talking about the star of “Watermelon Man.” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/8 "2004-03-16T02:59:11Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Feh. I wanna see a Monty Python sketch that doesn’t revolve around Britishness. “I like Chi-neeeeese…I like Chi-neeeeese…” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/9 "2004-03-16T03:44:48Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > What else is a comedian supposed to joke about if not his own life? Well, I once saw a woman stand-up comedian who kicked off her set by saying something like, “Yep, I’m a woman comedian, but I won’t be doing any of that period-menstruation-vagina stuff in my act. I like to think outside the box.” Ba-dum-bum! She went on to do a very funny routine about sports. I agree with the Wayne Brady suggestion. No matter what the subject is, he gets me laughing. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/10 "2004-03-16T04:11:38Z")
**Sinbad** ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/11 "2004-03-16T04:52:49Z")
White people drive like this, but BLACK people drive like THIS ---
**Author:** ![ummm.yeahh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ummm.yeahh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ummm.yeahh)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/12 "2004-03-16T04:55:46Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Sinbad** Uhhh… I believe the OP said comedians. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/13 "2004-03-16T05:01:26Z")
“White people have names like Lenny, but BLACK people have names like CARL!” ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/14 "2004-03-16T05:12:05Z")
> [@Moo the Magic Cow](#): > > White people drive like this, > but BLACK people drive like THIS ‘It’s true! We’re so lame!’ ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/15 "2004-03-16T06:37:38Z")
Kristen Wilson (but I don’t know if she still does stand-up). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/16 "2004-03-16T06:42:22Z")
I’ve heard people include Chris Tucker in this category. Of course, if you want people who are funny… ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/17 "2004-03-16T07:16:34Z")
Don’t think George Wallace (the comedian) does a lot of “black” humor. George Wallace (the Governor) did a lot of “black” material, but it wasn’t supposed to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/18 "2004-03-16T07:48:08Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Sinbad** Is that a joke? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/19 "2004-03-16T15:21:09Z")
This is the kind of thing you find in drips and drabs. I only saw Tommy Davidson perform once. IIRC, his skits revolved around things like trick-or-treating on Halloween and how Prince would place an order at McDonalds. I can’t remember if he did any race-specific humor during that show. Michael Winslow – the “noisemaker” guy from the _Police Academy_ movies – has done many skits based pretty much on the noises he can make with his mouth. I have a feeling he’d incorporate his noises into a racial story here and there, but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Iacob\_Matthew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Iacob\_Matthew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iacob_Matthew)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554/20 "2004-03-16T15:38:41Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Feh. I wanna see a Monty Python sketch that doesn’t revolve around Britishness. Every Sperm is sacred, every sperm is gooooooood… No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition! He’s a lumberjack and that’s okay! He sleeps all night, and he works all day. Or, if you actually want to SEE them, go to a video store, and look on the back of the box. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-their-any-black-comedians-whose-material-doesnt-revolve-around-blackness-itself/234554.md?page=2)