The Untold Truth Of Cedric The Entertainer
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Cedric the Entertainer has been making people laugh since the 1980s, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Like many comics, he started out doing stand-up before making it big, and that's precisely what he did. Cedric the Entertainer has managed to cross over into almost every facet of the entertainment industry with appearances in a plethora of TV series, dozens of movies, musicals, and video games.
Throughout his long career, he's managed to prove to the world that his stage name is duly earned. On top of that, he's earned the respect and admiration of millions of fans from all over the world. Cedric is one of those people who manages to show up in so many projects; even if you don't know the man's name, you probably know his face or voice from somewhere. The Original King of Comedy has killed it in the "Barbershop," "Ice Age," and "Madagascar" franchises, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Cedric the Entertainer has managed to stand out as someone whose talent and drive have made him a force to be reckoned with. While most people know who he is and are familiar with his work, there's more going on behind the laughter than most people realize. After all, how much of the person comes through in their performances? In Cedric the Entertainer's case, there's quite a lot that bleeds through, and there's still a lot more to uncover — this is the untold truth of Cedric the Entertainer.
He's all about the hats
If you've seen a picture of Cedric the Entertainer on his Instagram or elsewhere, odds are, he was wearing a hat of some type. For the most part, Men's hats went out of fashion in the 1960s, but that didn't stop a young Cedric Antonio Kyles from becoming a hat aficionado while he was in school. When he was in junior high, "There were a group of guys in high school who were the dressers; they had style," he told Variety. All of those guys wore hats, and Cedric and his friends decided to emulate their look. He never really grew out of the style, and when he began to perform on stage, he did it while wearing a hat.
Before long, hats and Cedric the Entertainer became a packaged deal, and he continues to wear them in his private and public life. Cedric launched a designer hat line in 2011 to capitalize on his connection to the stylish accessory and his talent for design. This created an unintended problem that comes up in many relationships where one person collects something: Cedric's wife told him he had too many!
It's not clear how many he has — he may not even know — but in an interview in April 2014, Cedric revealed he had a room devoted to his collection. He's estimated that his hat room consists of over 200 hats. He also revealed that he's not averse to taking a hat off his head, signing it, and handing it to a lucky fan.
He's an avid golfer
Hats aren't the only thing Cedric the Entertainer is into; the man is an avid golfer. On top of that, Cedric is a generous person, and he's been holding an annual Cedric the Entertainer Celebrity Golf Classic since 2013. The tournament benefits a number of different charities, including the Kyles Family Foundation, which benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo, The Brotherhood Crusade of Los Angeles, and many more.
Of course, he doesn't limit his golfing to his own charitable endeavors. He's often spotted participating in various Celebrity Gold Tournaments, including the annual George Lopez Foundation Celebrity Gold Tournament. In terms of skill, Cedric the Entertainer is a pretty good golfer. According to the comedian, his "handicap is about 21; my goal is to break 80" (via Us Weekly). That's not too terrible, and given the amount of time he spends on the links, he may one day hit that goal.
He bought into the HVM Racing team
Cedric the Entertainer's resume is filled with appearances in comedy specials, television series, and films, but that's not the only place he's invested his time and money. In 2005, he became a part-owner of the Champ Car series' HVM Racing team. When he bought into the team, it was known as CTE-HVM Racing, though these days, it's called HVM Racing.
Cedric's interest in IndyCar racing brought a celebrity presence to the team, and he made an impact. The cars that drove in 2006 sported a distinctive gunmetal grey coloration emblazoned on the side-pods with the logo for A Bird and A Bear, Cedric's entertainment company. Whether it was Cedric the Entertainer's involvement or, more likely, the talent of the drivers, the team won big the year he bought into CTE-HVM Racing.
Nelson Philippe scored a win at Surfers Paradise, Australia, and the team's overall performance landed them their best season. Cedric the Entertainer's interest in Champ Car racing stemmed from the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2005. He "saw the potential in the series" and lent his star power to help market the team through his sizeable resources and contacts. The team has had numerous owners over the years, and while Cedric may have since divested his interests in HVM Racing, he was, at one time, a big part of the team.
He worked interesting jobs
Sometimes it's difficult to look at an established celebrity like Cedric the Entertainer and see them outside of their profession. Still, it's not as if stars come from a vacuum, and Cedric is no exception. Like many people working in entertainment, he had a wide range of jobs on his road to superstardom.
While Cedric the Entertainer was attending Southeast Missouri State University for a degree in Mass Communications, he worked for State Farm as an insurance adjuster. During an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Cedric explained that he worked as a specialist who "spoke regular English in angry negro." During this time, Cedric worked a lot of hours at school, State Farm, and the clubs.
During an appearance on Rushion McDonald's podcast, "Money Making Conversation," the comedian explained that he did "all the things you got to do to get your hustle on." He sold fax machines, worked as a substitute teacher, handled insurance claims, and worked the clubs in the evenings. He also attended school during this time, so he put in a lot of work and effort into building his career from the ground up.
His Barbershop character caused some trouble
One of Cedric the Entertainer's early breakout hits came when he was cast to play Eddie Walker in "Barbershop." It's a role he returned to in both sequels, but that first appearance as Walker came with some controversy. According to Entertainment Weekly, the issue arose from some of Cedric's dialogue in a two-minute scene, where Eddie declares, "Rosa Parks ain't do nothin' but sit her Black a** down!"
The other characters in the barbershop immediately protest this declaration made against one of the United States' most important civil rights leaders, but Walker doesn't back down. In fact, he doubles down by attacking several prominent members of the African American community, including Rodney King, Jesse Jackson, and others. The scene is meant to show that all opinions are expressible in a barbershop, and it mirrors the controversy in the real world.
Immediate calls for an apology and a potential boycott of the movie quickly made headlines, but they didn't elicit the desired response. Nobody involved in the film formally apologized for the comments in "Barbershop," including Cedric the Entertainer. He didn't have a problem showing the clip during an appearance on "The Tonight Show," and while he never apologized for saying his character's lines, he did tell USA Today that he wasn't "all that comfortable" saying them in the film (via Entertainment Weekly).
He was awarded an honorary doctorate
Cedric attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he received a degree in communications. Education has always been a big part of his life, and it didn't exactly come to an end when he walked across the stage to receive his degree. In 2015, Cedric the Entertainer was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Fine Arts and Humanities by Lincoln University, per RussellSimmons.com.
The doctorate was one of many honors bestowed upon Cedric the Entertainer throughout his impressive career. In 2018, he was awarded the 2,640th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During an interview with "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," he mentioned that if anyone were to leave anything on the star, he'd hope it would be "little small hats."
That wasn't even the only walk of fame honor given to Cedric the Entertainer. A decade earlier, he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The city honored the comedian again in 2018 by naming a street at the corner of Olive st. and Vandeventer Ave. in his honor. The street corner is in front of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Alumni House — the same fraternity Cedric joined while attending Southeast Missouri State University.
He's a generous philanthropist
One of the aspects of Cedric the Entertainer that's often commented about during interviews is his philanthropic nature. He's used his sizeable platform for a variety of causes over the years, with an emphasis on improving the lives of African Americans. Beyond this, he's directed the majority of his philanthropy at his home state of Missouri, with a particular emphasis on the neighborhoods he grew up in and the schools he attended.
To this end, the comedian established the Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation Inc. One of the ways the foundation follows its motto, "Reaching Out ... Giving Back," is by awarding a scholarship every year to a deserving high school senior, so they can attend college. Education has always been a point of pride and emphasis for Cedric, as it was highly encouraged in his family. His mother was a teacher, and she encouraged her son to "Go forth and do great things" (via Look to the Stars).
In addition to his work through his foundation, Cedric can be found giving his time and money to numerous causes. He participates in charity golf tournaments, regularly gives to a variety of charities, and much more. In 2018, Cedric the Entertainer teamed up with several of his "The Neighborhood" castmates while visiting the Brotherhood Crusade with some early Christmas presents. The entertainers brought "brand new bicycles with helmets and all the toys they could carry" for children in need, per Look to the Stars.
He threw shade at Nicki Minaj
Cedric the Entertainer hosted the 2021 Emmy Award show during the COVID-19 pandemic. The audience was limited to only 500 people (down from the thousands that usually attend). Despite the limitation, Cedric brought his A-game. He entertained the masses virtually with various jokes on pop culture and other current events, including a comment that threw some serious shade at Nicki Minaj.
On September 13, Minaj Tweeted a peculiar story about how her cousin's friend in Trinidad had an unusual reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. She said his genitals swelled up, and this ruined his wedding. Media outlets and medical organizations worldwide were quick to point out that her claim was erroneous, and the Trinidad Health Minister went on TV to explain that it didn't happen.
Of course, the world's comedians also jumped on the ridiculous claim, and in Cedric the Entertainer's case, he didn't hold back. At the Emmys, the pandemic was the talk of the town, as the Hollywood elite worked hard to make the show a success. Cedric's joke managed to elicit the expected response when he said, "I got vaxxed. I did not have a reaction like Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend" (via Access). After Cedric the Entertainer bashed Nicki Minaj for her COVID-19 Tweet, he targeted pretty much everyone else while hosting the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Unfortunately, not all of Cedric's barbs were successful, such as his comments about the British Royal family.
He's had his name for decades
One of the biggest things that stand out about Cedric the Entertainer is his name. He wasn't named "The Entertainer" by his parents, so how did he go from Cedric Antonio Kyles to Cedric the Entertainer? He's clearly demonstrated time and time again that he's a professional entertainer, so he earned his moniker through his work as a stand-up comic early in his career.
When he was just starting out, Cedric the Entertainer worked a lot of jobs in the entertainment industry. He was, first and foremost, a comedian, but that wasn't his only skill. He was also a talented singer. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, his first professional gig saw him play the Cowardly Lion in a reproduction of The Wiz at the Apollo Theater in 1995. He wasn't billed as "The Entertainer" until a show time later while working at a comedy club.
At the St. Louis comedy club he did stand-up in, the MC presented people based on what they performed, so a comedian would be introduced as such. Cedric didn't simply tell jokes, as he explained on Jalen Rose's "Renaissance Man" podcast (via EurWeb). "I sang when I got onstage. I did poems. I would do anything to fill up my time," so he told the MC, "Don't call me a comedian, call me an entertainer." The MC introduced him as "Cedric the Entertainer," and he had a great show, so he decided to embrace it as his professional name.
He's the Original King of Comedy
Early in his career, Cedric the Entertainer went on a tour across the U.S. with some of comedy's biggest headliners. Billed alongside Cedric were Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac. The tour inspired Spike Lee to make a film out of it called "The Original Kings of Comedy." To many, that's a title Cedric the Entertainer holds to this day.
All four comedians were well known in and out of the Black community when the tour kicked off. At the time, everyone but Bernie Mac had a show of their own (or appeared prominently on a TV series), and the exposure only made them more prominent stars. Spike Lee's film was made using recordings of performances in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it's easily some of the group's best work.
They got on stage and showed the world who they were, and they did it in such a way as to make people laugh while recalling similar performances made by the Black comedians who paved the way for them, such as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and the Wayans Brothers. The new generation of comedians managed to rekindle the success of its predecessors while paving the way for the ones who followed, and it was largely due to the success of "The Original Kings of Comedy," per The Shadow League. Cedric the Entertainer earned his place in that distinctive club, and it's a title he retained throughout his career.
Cedric the Entertainer is a family man
With celebrities, the fans typically know them based on who they present themselves in their work. Still, it's rare to catch a glimpse of who the person is when the spotlight is turned off. To most people, Cedric Antonio Kyles is an entertainer, a philanthropist, and the guy who always makes them laugh. According to Romper, to those closest to him, he's a family man, first and foremost.
Cedric the Entertainer hosted BET's "ComicView" in 1994, and he met a very important person during this event. Lorna Wells and Cedric reportedly hit it off instantly. Per Romper, their relationship became both a professional and romantic one fairly quickly. By 1995, Wells was working with Cedric on "Def Comedy Jam." It was during this time that they officially began dating one another.
By 1999, the couple was married, and it wasn't long before they welcomed their first child, Croix, in 2000. In 2003, Lucky Rose followed, and those two children joined Cedric's daughter, Tiara, born in 1990 from a previous relationship. Cedric and Lorna make red carpet appearances together, but the couple prefers to keep their private life ... well, private, so the family tends to stay out of the public eye as much as possible (via Parade).
Cedric the Entertainer is worth around $25 million
One of the things fans like to know about the people who entertain them is how much they're worth. After all, celebrities often make a lot of money appearing in movies, television series, or comedy specials. It can be interesting to uncover just how much someone like Cedric the Entertainer is paid to make us laugh. In Cedric's case, his net worth has been estimated to be around $25 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
Amassing that much money takes time, and Cedric has undoubtedly put in the work to earn his money. As a prolific actor, Cedric the Entertainer has shown up in dozens of television series and movies throughout his career. Of course, he never forgot his roots, and he continues to do stand-up whenever his busy schedule allows.
In addition to his performances, Cedric the Entertainer is also a published author. His book, "Grown-A$$ Man," was published in 2002. The following year, he appeared in the video game "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004." He's also lent his talents to various comedy albums, including Nelly's "Country Grammar" and Jay-Z's "The Black Album."