Funny My Way  By  cover art

Funny My Way

By: AYR Media, Team Coco
Narrated by: J.B. Smoove
Episodes
  • Funny My Way Trailer
    Jul 7 2022

    Please note: This Audible Original contains explicit content and language some people may find offensive. It is intended for mature audiences only. Discretion is advised.

    Take a deep dive into the personal and political lives of six trailblazing Black comedy icons with your host comedian/actor JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm). This engaging docuseries shows you how these fearless heroes of comedy broke color barriers and challenged the racist status quo, all while making audiences roar with laughter. Without them, we wouldn’t have the superstars we have today.

    Produced by Team Coco, AYR Media and Toni Judkins, each episode of Funny My Way: Breaking Boundaries in Black Comedy presents a comedy great of the past: Paul Mooney (known as “The Godfather of Comedy”), Flip Wilson (the first Black entertainer to host a successful weekly variety show on network TV), Moms Mabley (the first Black comedian to play Carnegie Hall), Dick Gregory (the first Black comedian to break the color line in the nightclub scene), Rudy Ray Moore (known as “The Godfather of Rap”), and Redd Foxx (known as “The Dean of X-rated comedians”).

    Through funny and moving archival footage, their stories are told alongside incisive commentary from various popular comics, political commentators, and legendary creators, including Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Godfrey, RuPaul, Margaret Cho, Deon Cole, Sandra Bernhard, Norman Lear, and more. Hear how these Black comedy legends made it to the top and influenced so many by doing it their way.

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    2 mins
  • Episode 1: Paul Mooney
    Aug 4 2022
    One of the fiercest and most fearless comics of his generation, Paul Mooney masterfully crossed the line with humor and intention. He told the truth about race and politics in America through his iconic work on shows like In Living Color, Saturday Night Live and The Chappelle Show. Dubbed the “Godfather of Comedy” for his unflinching, unapologetic style, Mooney influenced generations of comics and kick-started the careers of some of the biggest names in the comedy game.
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    53 mins
  • Episode 2: Flip Wilson
    Aug 4 2022
    Flip Wilson, television’s first Black superstar, hosted his own variety show that rose to the top of American TV ratings. He united the world to the sound of laughter while snatching a slew of industry awards. But while he enjoyed audience adoration on-stage, Flip struggled with trauma and addiction in his personal life. Yet his enduring work paved the way for more groundbreaking shows, like Sanford and Son, that continued to expand horizons and opportunities for Black comics on the small screen.
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    54 mins

Take a deep dive into the lives of Black comedy icons.

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About the Performer

Best known for his iconic role as Leon on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, JB Smoove is an award-winning actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. For that show, Smoove received a SAG nomination as a part of the series ensemble cast as well as an NAACP Image Award nomination. He also won an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a short form Comedy Series or Drama Series for Mapleworth Murders. As a writer on Saturday Night Live, Smoove received a Writers Guild award for Best Comedy/Variety Series. An accomplished stand-up comedian, Smoove has hosted NBC’s Last Comic Standing, the Comedy Central stand-up series Russell Simmons Presents: The Ruckus, and shot his own one-hour stand-up special How I Dooz It. Smoove also hosted the show Four Courses with JB Smoove, featuring comedians, athletes, and entertainers on the MSG Network. Additionally, he has starred in many film and television projects, including The Sitter, We Bought a Zoo, Date Night, Hall Pass, Uncle Drew, CBS’s The Millers, as well as the hit Marvel film Spider-Man: Far from Home. Smoove’s unique comedic voice has been heard in animated films where he had voiceover roles in Ice Age 4 and The Smurfs 2 and in TV shows, such as American Dad and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Featured Article: The Best Podcasts by Black Creators to Listen to in 2023


Whether focused on literature, family, mental health, history, or the arts, these listens represent just a few of the best podcasts created and hosted by Black writers, thinkers, journalists, comedians, and trailblazers. Led by some of the most powerful voices in media, these can’t-miss listens demonstrate just how outstanding Black voices capture the particular challenges and extraordinary accomplishments of African Americans.

What listeners say about Funny My Way

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AWESOME

I'm always surprised when I hear comedy, whether good or bad, that someone or many didn't like it or couldn't listen "because of"...cursing, swearing, etc., but never on something as concrete as: they had great technique. If anyone bases the quality of comedy on such frivolity then they should stay in their caves as they jeopardize this genre for the rest of the population. They cannot see the forest for the trees and they are willing to watch a city burn because they didn't like the one person in town who had something they didn't; in this case talent. These types if people would sink a submarine, down a plane, or stop ANY advancement if they were not included. The world is doing MORE than swearing and their ears are FULLY in support of that "#!T but they have delicate ears. There are people in the world experiencing so much worse than swearing/cursing and what they wouldn't, couldn't or can't do for a laugh or fun might be chilling....if these privileged people took the time and opportunity to walk in anothers shoes and they had the mental capacity to look past all that swearing/cursing (as they do when they see actual living breathing people, sometimes daily, in jeopardy, and they choose NOT to notice, or offer NO genuine assistance) and took the time to hear and listen past all the noise to what message was trying to be conveyed. This comedy was a great opportunity and whether some were a 1 or a 10 they were out there and brave enough to share, care, and or upgrade and do better. APPLAUSE!!!! to the comics. CONTINUE. I may not have liked all, and may not have agreed or disagreed with the messages or stories but whether I did or didn't I had the opportunity and control to do so OR SHUT THE $#!T OFF....some satisfaction was achieved. Thank you fir for taking the time.

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ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!

This podcast is one of the BEST podcasts that I have ever listened to. JB’s narration made it so enjoyable, and I loved the way he saluted and thanked each comedian at the end of each episode. Very classy.

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Phenomenal Listen

Im not even a comedy fan but decided to give this a try, as I do love a good docuseries. To my surprise, this was so delightful. So many celebrities contributed and they actually played clips from each comedian’s career - I laughed quite a bit during this.

It did not feel like I was listening to a part of history, I felt like I was listening to a story, with comedy. Great listen and JB Smoove was a good host.

You will be entertained.

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Full of swear words couldn’t even listen to this garbage!

How do I get this off of my I pad? I don’t want my grandkids to find it and play it.

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Worth Your Time

I absolutely love listening to how some of the pioneers of comedy got their start . And there is a part two? Well I can’t wait. Loved it

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good listen

very good very good historical information but funny informative. I am surprised it was free

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so funny and educational

it is so good to hear the life stories of the legends that made a way for all the black comics after them and hear jokes I never heard

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THE FUNNIEST OF ALL TIME

THIS A VERY INFORMATIVE PODCAST OF HISTORICAL COMEDIANS OF ALL TIMES I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT AND I LISTEN TO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN

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Great in Depth Listen

I stumbled across this series and I’m grateful for it! Through back stories I’d never heard before. I’m going to rewatch Sanford and Son now!

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Excellent

This was a great listen! JB did a wonderful job regaling the greats stories! Well worth my time. I hope there are more episodes to come!

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