10 Famous Comedians With Dark Sides You Didn’t Know About
1. Richard Pryor
Probably the greatest comedian of all time, it's hard to believe Richard Pryor was the son of a prostitute and a pimp; his upbringing a truly tragic one. Raised in his grandmothers brothel, where his mother also worked, he was sexually abused at age 7, abandoned by his mother at 10 years old and kicked out of school by 14. In his own words - when you aint got no money, you gotta get an attitude - and thats exactly what he did. The demons that tormented him undoubtably played part in creating the comedy genius we know and love.
Pryor broke barriers when it came to race; his stand-up heavily littered with the n-word, and he had a remarkable way of relaying the tragedies of his life in a hilarious manner. He documented every pain, abuse and suffering he'd ever experienced, and he made it funny.
Richard's friend and producer, David Banks said the comic had over a dozen personalities, four of them being nightmares to deal with. Following his infamous freebasing incident of 1980 (in which he set himself on fire with high-proof rum in a cocaine-induced psychosis and ran down the street), he waved a lit match at a stand-up gig, saying, "What's that? Richard Pryor running down the street. Doctors thought it was unlikely he'd survive the extreme burns he suffered, so standing on stage again was a triumph... never mind joking about it.
The intimacy Pryor brought to his comedy is what makes him one of the most important and influential figures of the art. Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think and Richard Pryor was very much both of these.
Pryor's Best Lines
I woke up in an ambulance. And it wasnt nothing but white people staring at me. I said, Aint this a bitch. I done died and wound up in the wrong motherf***ing heaven.
"I remember white dudes used to come down to the whorehouse. Do you have any girls who cover you with ice cream?... And little boys to lick it off? He was the mayor."
"It seemed fair to kill my car to me, right, cause my wife was going to leave my ass. I say, Not in this motherf***er you aint. Uh-uh. If you leave me you be drivin them Hush Puppies you got on. Cause Im goin kill this motherf***er here.'"
What do you think? Is the stereotype of the depressed comedian true? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Oh, and do share your favourite jokes from the comics discussed!