Cedric the Entertainer

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), known professionally as Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor and television host. He hosted BET's ComicView during the 1993–1994 season and Def Comedy Jam in 1995. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, and for starring as Eddie Walker in Barbershop. He hosted the 12th season of the daytime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2013–14 and starred in the TV Land original series The Soul Man, which aired from 2012 to 2016. He has also done voice work for Ice Age, the Madagascar film series, Charlotte's Web, Planes and Planes: Fire & Rescue. He currently stars on the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood. In 2019, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life

Cedric was born on April 24, 1964, in Jefferson City, Missouri, the son of Rosetta (née Boyce), a schoolteacher, and Kittrell Kyles, an employee of The Missouri Pacific Railroad.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has a younger sister, Sharita Kyles Wilson, a communications professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.<ref>"Cedric 'The Entertainer' Scores in Commercials, TV and Film with Down-Home Comedy", Jet, March 12, 2001. Accessed on December 29, 2009.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cedric was raised in Caruthersville, Missouri, but after junior high school he moved to Berkeley, Missouri, a northern suburb of St. Louis. He is a graduate of Berkeley High School.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Unreliable source?</ref>

Cedric majored in mass communication at Southeast Missouri State University<ref name=king2014>Template:Cite book</ref> and worked as a State Farm insurance claims adjuster and substitute high school teacher before becoming a full-time comedian. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.

Career

Cedric's stage name came about when he felt that his real name, Cedric Kyles, sounded too formal. Inspired by an entertainer named Kodak, he came up with the name "Cheerio", but received a cease and desist letter from General Mills over their cereal Cheerios. He settled on his stage name when someone introduced him as "an entertainer, Cedric the entertainer" and the name stuck.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

In 1995, Cedric moved into acting, auditioning for and receiving his first-ever role as The Cowardly Lion in the 1995 Apollo Theater Revival of The Wiz. He expanded his career by playing Steve Harvey's friend Cedric Jackie Robinson on The Steve Harvey Show.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He began appearing in films, including Barbershop,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Barbershop 2: Back in Business,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ride, Serving Sara, Johnson Family Vacation, Code Name: The Cleaner, Intolerable Cruelty, Man of the House, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Be Cool.

He was the subject of controversy when his Barbershop character made unpopular remarks about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These jokes (about the pastor's promiscuity with women, and Parks just being tired to get to the back of the bus) were spoken in character, as part of the script. Rev. Jesse Jackson publicly asked for those jokes to be edited out of the movie on the DVD and VHS releases.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In Madagascar, he voiced Maurice the aye aye. In October 2005, he joined the Champ Car auto racing series as a part owner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He appeared in the film Charlotte's Web as the voice of Golly the gander.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

While his acting career grew, Cedric continued to perform stand-up comedy and traveled the country as one of the Kings of Comedy headliners with Steve Harvey, D. L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. The act was later made into a Spike Lee film, The Original Kings of Comedy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cedric had his own sketch comedy show, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, but after being renewed for a second season, it was canceled by Fox before the season began. He took time to write a book, Grown-A$$ Man.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> He appeared in the 2003 video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. A more recent HBO Comedy Special was Cedric The Entertainer: Taking You Higher.Template:Efn He recorded comedic interludes on two Nelly albums, Country Grammar (2000) and Nellyville (2002) as well as on Jay-Z's The Black Album (2003).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2007 comedy film Code Name: The Cleaner, Cedric plays Jake, a janitor with amnesia who may be a secret undercover government agent involved in an illegal arms conspiracy. He starred in the 2008 films Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and Street Kings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cedric appeared as the lead comedian at the White House Correspondents Dinner, but jokingly remarked that he was unprepared because he thought that he would follow a humorous speech by President George W. Bush. He instead followed First Lady Laura Bush, who called him "hilarious" and "probably the funniest person" she had ever met.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Cedric has won many awards, beginning with $500 in the Johnny Walker National Comedy Contest in 1990 and coming in first in the Miller Genuine Draft Comedy Contest in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> BET named him Richard Pryor Comic of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He has also won four NAACP Awards.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

He was inducted to the St. Louis Walk of Fame on June 7, 2008. His star is at 6166 Delmar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was the special guest host for WWE Raw on September 21, 2009, in Little Rock, Arkansas. During the show, he participated in a wrestling match, defeating Chavo Guerrero Jr. by pinfall. The match also featured Santino Marella as a guest referee. Cedric also got help from an unknown wrestler dubbed The Sledge Hammer (played by Imani Lee) and Hornswoggle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2010, Cedric made his directorial debut with Dance Fu, produced and funded independently by his company Bird and a Bear Entertainment with producer Eric C. Rhone. It starred comedian Kel Mitchell. Cedric made a cameo appearance in the film as a homicide detective. It was released straight to DVD on October 4, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cedric appeared in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's play American Buffalo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In a June 21, 2011, interview, Cedric said his latest reality game show, It's Worth What?, would air on NBC on July 12, 2011,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but the start date was delayed by one week to July 19. Starting in 2012, he played the main character in the TV Land original series The Soul Man, featuring Niecy Nash. The series ran for five seasons and ended in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cedric was the host of the American TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, beginning with its 12th season in national syndication, which premiered on September 2, 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On April 30, 2014, Cedric announced that he was leaving the game show after the 2013–14 season to focus on other projects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Terry Crews took over as host on September 8, 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Starting in 2018, Cedric played the character of Calvin Butler in the television sitcom The Neighborhood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was the official commentator for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match.

In 2025, Cedric the Entertainer competed on season thirteen of The Masked Singer as "Honey Pot" where the bees on the mask part of his costume sported his trademark fedoras. He was the first of Group A to be eliminated in the season premiere.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Cedric is married to Lorna Wells. They have two children, Croix (born 2000) and Lucky Rose (born 2003).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also has a daughter, Tiara (born 1989), from a previous relationship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He continues his involvement with his high school by awarding a scholarship each year to a graduating senior through the Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation, whose motto is "Reaching Out...Giving Back". In May 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts and humanities by Lincoln University of Missouri (his parents' alma mater). In 2018, St. Louis honored him by renaming the street in front of the Kappa Alpha Psi Alumni House to Cedric The Entertainer Way.<ref name="hoskins2018">Template:Cite news. Coordinates: Template:Coord.</ref><ref name="stltv">Template:Cite AV media Alt URL</ref>

Filmography

File:CedrictheEntertainerGetSmartJun08.jpg

Cedric at the June 2008 premiere of Get Smart

List of film performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Ride	Bo
2000	Big Momma's House	The Reverend
	The Original Kings of Comedy	Himself	Also writer; Documentary
2001	Kingdom Come	Reverend Beverly H. Hooker
2001	Dr. Dolittle 2	Zoo Bear #1	Voice<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
2002	Serving Sara	Ray Harris
	Barbershop	Eddie Walker
	Ice Age	Carl	Voice<ref name="btva" />
2003	Intolerable Cruelty	Gus Petch
2004	Barbershop 2: Back in Business	Eddie Walker
	Johnson Family Vacation	Nate Johnson	Also producer
	Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events	Constable
2005	Be Cool	'Sin' LaSalle
	Madagascar	Maurice	Voice<ref name="btva" />
	Man of the House	Percy Stevens
	The Honeymooners	Ralph Kramden	Also executive producer
2006	Charlotte's Web	Golly The Gander	Voice<ref name="btva" />
2007	Code Name: The Cleaner	Jake Rogers	Also producer
	Talk to Me	Bob 'Nighthawk' Terry
2008	Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins	Clyde Stubbs
	Street Kings	Winston 'Scribble'
	Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	Maurice	Voice<ref name="btva" />
	Cadillac Records	Willie Dixon
2009	Un-broke: What You Need To Know About Money	Himself	TV film
	Merry Madagascar	Maurice	Voice; TV film<ref name="btva" />
	All's Faire in Love	Professor Shockworthy
2011	Dance Fu	Detective	Also executive producer
	Larry Crowne	Lamar
2012	Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted	Maurice	Voice<ref name="btva" />
2013	A Haunted House	Father Doug Williams
	Madly Madagascar	Maurice	Voice<ref name="btva" />
	Planes	Leadbottom
2014	Planes: Fire & Rescue
	A Haunted House 2	Father Doug Williams
	Top Five	Jazzy
2016	Barbershop: The Next Cut	Eddie Walker
	Why Him?	Lou Dunne
2017	First Reformed	Pastor Joel Jeffers	as Cedric Kyles
2020	Poor Greg Drowning	Narrator
	Son of the South	Reverend Ralph Abernathy
	The Opening Act	Billy 'Billy G'
2020	SHE BALL	COUNCILMAN
2022	The Black Karen	Sergeant Warren	Short film
2023	The Plus One	Alfred Anders
	How I Learned to Fly	Louis
2024	Outlaw Posse	Horatio
	A Hip-Hop Story	The Notorious B.I.G.
	Unfrosted	Stu Smiley

List of television performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	It's Showtime at the Apollo	Himself
1993–1994	ComicView		Host<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1995	Def Comedy Jam		1 episode
1996–2002	The Steve Harvey Show	Cedric Jackie Robinson	Main role
2001–2005	The Proud Family	Bobby Proud	Voice, 14 episodes
2002–2003	Cedric the Entertainer Presents	Himself	Main role
2004	Eve		Episode: "Porn Free"
2006	Wild 'n Out		Episode: "Cedric the Entertainer"
	All of Us	Clarence DeWitt	Episode: "Pass the Peas"
2007	The Boondocks	Cousin Jericho Freeman	Voice, episode: "Invasion of the Katrinians"
2009	WWE Raw	Himself	Special guest host, 1 episode
2011	It's Worth What?		Host
	Take Two with Phineas and Ferb		Episode: "Cedric the Entertainer"
2011, 2014	Hot in Cleveland	Reverend Boyce Ballentine	Episodes: "Bridezelka" and "Stayin' Alive"
2012–2016	The Soul Man		Main role, 54 episodes
2012	2 Broke Girls	Darius	Episode: "And the Pre-Approved Credit Card"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2013	Real Husbands of Hollywood	Himself	Episode: "Blackstabbers"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2013–2014	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire		Host<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2015, 2020	Whose Line Is It Anyway?		Season 11 Episode 1, Season 16
2015	Cedric's Barber Battle		Host<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	Another Period	Scott Joplin	Episode: "Joplin"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2017	Master of None	Kenny 'The Magnificent'	Episode: "Door #3"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Drop the Mic	Himself	Episode: "Niecy Nash vs. Cedric the Entertainer / Liam Payne vs. Jason Derulo"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Nightcap		Episode: "Spinster Code"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Comedy Get Down		Main role<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Superior Donuts	Reggie Wicks	2 episodes<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
	Funny You Should Ask	Himself	4 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018–2020	The Last O.G.	Miniard Mullins	Main cast<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018–2021	Summer Camp Island	The Moon	Voice, 11 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="btva"/>
2018–present	The Neighborhood	Calvin Butler	Main role; also executive producer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018	Black-ish	'Smokey'	2 episodes
	Nobodies	Himself	2 episodes<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2019–2020	Power	Croop	3 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020–present	The Greatest #AtHome Videos	Himself	Host<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020	Woke	Trashcan	Voice, 3 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021	73rd Primetime Emmy Awards	Himself (host)	Television special<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022–present	The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder	Bobby Proud	Voice<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="btva"/>
2023	The Daily Show	Himself (guest)	Episode: April 5
2024	John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA	Himself	Episode: "Earthquakes"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2025	The Masked Singer	Himself/Honeypot	Season 13 contestant

External links

• Official website
• Template:IMDb name
• Cedric the Entertainer interview Template:Webarchive on the Tavis Smiley show
• Cedric the Entertainer profile on Living St. Louis.