CNN is teaming with comedian D.L. Hughley to produce a weekly news-based comedy show in an attempt to capture a younger demographic.
According to Variety, Hughley’s show will lampoon current events as well as the reporters covering and breaking various newsworthy stories from the pop, sports, politics and entertainment worlds.
“D.L. is a very thoughtful, well-informed guy with unpredictable views, and I’ve always admired his comedy,” said CNN U.S. President Jon Klein. “The basic premise of the show is, what if a guy like him was let loose in the CNN building for a weekend after the lights went off?”
CNN has refused to divulge the name of the show, which is set to begin airing on Saturday’s at 10:00 PM.
Hughley revealed that his show would be much different than Comedy Central’s popular shows “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”
“I’m a big fan of both of those shows,” Hughley said. “But I’ve got a different skill set. I’m not going to parody a news show or a news anchor. My show will reflect my views on things just as their shows reflect their views…There have been six movies with a black man as the president, and in all those movies, the world was coming to an end. If this election isn’t art imitating life, I don’t know what is.”
Fans should be braced for Hughley’s in-your-face commentary, which at times, has landed him in hot water.
For instance, in June of 2007, a group of black ministers protested a Juneteenth appearance by Hughley in Forth Worth, Texas.
The ministers accused Hughley of making offensive, vulgar comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team during the Imus controversy, as well as demeaning the black community.
Still, the comic appears to be enthused about the upcoming show, which will be taped in front of a live studio audience in New York.
“It’s like getting to drive my father’s Mercedes to school. I’d like to know what Jesse Jackson is going to do for a living if Obama is elected,” Hughley told Variety. “I’d like to know what Sarah Palin is going to do if she doesn’t get elected. Ever notice that she does all the things a good waitress does when she wants better tips? You know, wink and smile.”
Hughley is a former Bloods gang member who has starred in movies like The Original Kings of Comedy, The Brothers, Soul Plane and his own syndicated TV series The Hughley’s.
He is also the former host of Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam, the HBO show which also launched his career.
