D.L. Hughley: ‘I’m Excited. The Country’s Ready for Something’

D.L. Hughley has never been known for tiptoeing around the issues of the day, and after bringing his sharp political humor and unapologetic observations to the City Winery stage, the comedian had plenty to say about what he sees happening in America right now.

With recent Democratic victories in Michigan and the growing national attention surrounding New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Hughley sees something bigger taking shape.

“I think that anytime somebody will vote for a dude, dudes whose names sound like somebody on Lioness, it tells you that the country’s ready for something,” Hughley laughed.

The comedian pointed to the way names and identity can shape how people are perceived in America, noting the resistance Barack Hussein Obama faced because of his middle name and drawing a connection to the political rise of Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed.

“We know that names can have a negative effect on your employment prospects,” Hughley said. “So I think not only are people ready for a new way of doing things, they’re accepting names that they otherwise would’ve been excluding there.”

For Hughley, the moment is about more than individual candidates. He sees the political landscape shifting after years of growing frustration.

“So I’m excited. I think that they are the kind of people that America needs to change,” he said. “But I think it had to be this bad first. I think that we had to go through this to get to where we’re going.”

And when it comes to the upcoming midterms, Hughley isn’t interested in sugarcoating the stakes.

“I used to be hopeful that people would understand the gravity of the situation and I’m not like that anymore because if you don’t know now, then there’s nothing I can say.”

That doesn’t mean he’s sitting the fight out and he’s urging people to vote.

“But I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to do my best to make sure people are aware of the stakes,” Hughley said. “But if you don’t know now, you don’t understand how bad things are and how much gravity things are. There’s nothing that a commercial. And I can do for you.”

The comments came backstage at City Winery, where radio and television personality Jazmyn Summers caught up with Hughley for Radio One following his performance.

He also shated his secret pet peeve “people who wear bad shoes. You know them shoes definitely AINT for you so stop it, ”  and his bad habit “ drinkin’, smokin’, talkin loud.”

And if Hughley’s combination of comedy, culture and commentary sounds like your kind of night out, City Winery has plenty more on the calendar.

The intimate entertainment destination has become a particularly appealing stop for audiences looking for live R&B, soul, comedy and other performances in a setting that combines the show with food and its own crafted wine. Its current lineup includes artists with deep connections to Black music and culture, including neo-soul favorite Musiq Soulchild, who is scheduled for an extensive run of shows across City Winery locations in New York, St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville, Lyfe Jennings, , Smif-N-Wessun and Twista, among others

And for comedy fans who want more of Hughley’s particular brand of politically charged humor, the comedian’s City Winery run continues beyond New York. He is scheduled for multiple performances at City Winery Boston August 28-30, followed by a multi-show engagement in Atlanta in September and additional dates in Chicago in December. He also hosts the nationally syndicated DL Hughley Show on Radio One stations featuring news, politics, laughter and pop culture.

For audiences who like their entertainment with a little conversation, a little culture and plenty of flavor, City Winery is offering a lineup that gives them plenty to choose from. And judging from Hughley’s comments backstage, the comedian is still doing what he has always done best: making people laugh while giving them something to think about on the way home

You can catch the whole convo in the video above.

Article by Jazmyn Summers.  You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz.  Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

D.L. Hughley: ‘I’m Excited. The Country’s Ready for Something’ was originally published on blackamericaweb.com