Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and television host. Beginning in the 1990s, he built a successful career in stand-up comedy, as well as in film, television, and voice acting, earning recognition for his contributions to American comedy and entertainment. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, for starring as Eddie Walker in Barbershop and for voicing Maurice in the Madagascar film series.
Cedric the Entertainer

Alexander Vaughn · Cedric the Entertainer · CC BY 2.0
- Full name
- Cedric Antonio Kyles.
- Born
- 1964. · Jefferson City.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- screenwriter, actor and film director.
- Education
- Southeast Missouri State University and Berkeley High School.
- Honours
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Languages
- English.
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Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and television host. Beginning in the 1990s, he built a successful career in stand-up comedy, as well as in film, television, and voice acting, earning recognition for his contributions to American comedy and entertainment. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, for starring as Eddie Walker in Barbershop and for voicing Maurice in the Madagascar film series.
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gnd · 1032601167 · wikidata · Q492327 · wikipedia · Cedric the Entertainer
In this article
Early life
Early life
He hosted BET's ComicView during the 1993–1994 season and Def Comedy Jam in 1995. He starred in the TV Land original series The Soul Man, which aired from 2012–16 and hosted the 12th season of the daytime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2013–14. He has also done voice work for Ice Age, Charlotte's Web, Planes and Planes: Fire & Rescue. From 2018 to 2026, he starred on the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood. In 2019, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Cedric was born on April 24, 1964, in Jefferson City, Missouri, the son of Rosetta (née Boyce), a schoolteacher, and Kittrell Kyles, an employee of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He has a younger sister, Sharita Kyles Wilson, a communications professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Cedric was raised in Caruthersville, Missouri, but after junior high school he moved to Berkeley, Missouri, a northern suburb of St. Louis. He is a graduate of Berkeley High School. Cedric majored in mass communication at Southeast Missouri State University and worked as a State Farm Insurance claims adjuster and substitute high school teacher before becoming a full-time comedian. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.
Career
Career
Cedric's stage name came about when he felt that his real name, Cedric Kyles, sounded too formal. Inspired by an entertainer named Kodak, he came up with the name "Cheerio", but received a cease and desist letter from General Mills over their cereal Cheerios. He settled on his stage name when someone introduced him as "an entertainer, Cedric the entertainer" and the name stuck. After appearing on It's Showtime at the Apollo in 1992, Cedric hosted BET's ComicView during the 1993–1994 season, and Def Comedy Jam in 1995. He then moved into acting, auditioning for and receiving his first-ever role as The Cowardly Lion in the 1995 Apollo Theater Revival of The Wiz. He expanded his career by playing Steve Harvey's friend Cedric Jackie Robinson on The Steve Harvey Show. While his acting career grew, Cedric continued to perform stand-up comedy and traveled the country as one of the Kings of Comedy headliners with Steve Harvey, D. L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. The act was later made into a Spike Lee film, The Original Kings of Comedy (2000). From 2002-2003, Cedric had his own sketch comedy show, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, but after being renewed for a second season, it was canceled by Fox before the season began. He took time to write a book, Grown-A$$ Man. He appeared in the 2003 video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. He recorded comedic interludes on two Nelly albums, Country Grammar (2000) and Nellyville (2002) as well as on Jay-Z's The Black Album (2003). A more recent HBO Comedy Special was Cedric The Entertainer: Taking You Higher in 2006. Cedric began appearing in films, including Ride (1998), Big Momma's House (2000), Barbershop (2002), and its sequels Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), Serving Sara (2002), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Johnson Family Vacation (2004), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Man of the House (2005) and Be Cool (2005). He was the subject of controversy when his Barbershop character made unpopular remarks about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These jokes (about the pastor's promiscuity with women, and Parks just being tired to get to the back of the bus) were spoken in character, as part of the script. Rev. Jesse Jackson publicly asked for those jokes to be edited out of the movie on the DVD and VHS releases. Cedric also voiced the character of Bobby Proud in the series The Proud Family (2001-2005), and starting in 2022, its revival series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, and characters in several films including Zoo Bear #1 in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) and Carl in Ice Age (2002). In Madagascar (2005), and its sequels Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), he voiced Maurice, the aye aye. He appeared in the film Charlotte's Web (2006) as the voice of Golly the gander. He also voiced Leadbottom, a biplane in the films Planes (2013), and its sequel Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014). In October 2005, Cedric joined the Champ Car auto racing series as a part owner. Cedric appeared as the lead comedian at the 2005 White House Correspondents Dinner, but jokingly remarked that he was unprepared because he thought that he would follow a humorous speech by President George W. Bush. He instead followed First Lady Laura Bush, who called him "hilarious" and "probably the funniest person" she had ever met. In the 2007 comedy film Code Name: The Cleaner, Cedric played Jake, a janitor with amnesia who may be a secret undercover government agent involved in an illegal arms conspiracy. He starred in the 2008 films Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and Street Kings. Cedric has won many awards, beginning with $500 in the Johnny Walker National Comedy Contest in 1990 and coming in first in the Miller Genuine Draft Comedy Contest in 1993. BET named him Richard Pryor Comic of the Year. He has also won four NAACP Awards. He was inducted to the St. Louis Walk of Fame on June 7, 2008. His star is at 6166 Delmar. He was the special guest host for WWE Raw on September 21, 2009, in Little Rock, Arkansas. During the show, he participated in a wrestling match, defeating Chavo Guerrero Jr. by pinfall. The match also featured Santino Marella as a guest referee. Cedric also got help from an unknown wrestler dubbed The Sledge Hammer (played by Imani Lee) and Hornswoggle. In March 2010, Cedric made his directorial debut with Dance Fu, produced and funded independently by his company Bird and a Bear Entertainment with producer Eric C. Rhone. It starred comedian Kel Mitchell. Cedric made a cameo appearance in the film as a homicide detective. It was released straight to DVD on October 4, 2011. Cedric made his Broadway debut in the 2008 revival of David Mamet's play American Buffalo. In a June 21, 2011, interview, Cedric said his latest reality game show, It's Worth What?, would air on NBC on July 12, 2011, but the start date was delayed by one week to July 19. From 2012-2016, he played the main character in the TV Land original series The Soul Man, featuring Niecy Nash. The series ran for five seasons. Cedric was the host of the American TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, beginning with its 12th season in national syndication, which premiered on September 2, 2013. On April 30, 2014, Cedric announced that he was leaving the game show after the 2013–14 season to focus on other projects. Terry Crews took over as host on September 8, 2014. In 2016, Cedric starred as Lou Dunne in the comedy film Why Him?. Starting in 2018, he played the character of Calvin Butler in the television sitcom The Neighborhood. He was the official commentator for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match in 2024. In 2025, Cedric the Entertainer competed on season thirteen of The Masked Singer as "Honey Pot" where the bees on the mask part of his costume sported his trademark fedoras. He was the first of Group A to be eliminated in the season premiere. It was announced that Cedric will star in the Broadway revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone with previews starting on March 30, 2026 and opening night on April 25, 2026. The play will be directed by Debbie Allen and co-star Taraji P. Henson.
Personal life
Personal life
Cedric is married to Lorna Wells. They have two children, Croix (born 2000) and Lucky Rose (born 2003). He also has a daughter, Tiara (born 1989), from a previous relationship. He continues his involvement with his high school by awarding a scholarship each year to a graduating senior through the Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation, whose motto is "Reaching Out...Giving Back". In May 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts and humanities by Lincoln University of Missouri, which was his parents' alma mater. In May 2025, he was awarded another honorary doctorate in fine arts by Southeast Missouri State University, his alma mater. In 2018, St. Louis honored him by renaming the street in front of the Kappa Alpha Psi Alumni House to Cedric The Entertainer Way.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2002
Grown-a$$ man: cedric the entertainer (2002) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
Books
Grown-A$$ Man, Ballantine Books, 2002. ISBN 978-0345447784 Flipping Boxcars: A Novel (with Alan Eisenstock), Amistad, 2023. ISBN 978-0063258990

Cedric the Entertainer at an event in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Gage Skidmore

Cedric the Entertainer at the Opening Night of "Joe Turner's Come And Gone" on Broadway - April 25, 2016
PhilipRomano
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q492327: Cedric the Entertainer
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Cedric the Entertainer”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1032601167, Cedric the Entertainer.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Andreeva, Nellie. 'The Soul Man' Picked Up For Fifth & Final Season By TV Land. Deadline Hollywood. July 28, 2015.
- 2.Cedric The Entertainer's Biography. The HistoryMakers.
- 3.Filmreference.com. Cedric The Entertainer Biography (1964?-).
- 4."Cedric 'The Entertainer' Scores in Commercials, TV and Film with Down-Home Comedy", Jet, March 12, 2001. Accessed on December 29, 2009.
- 5.seMissourian.com. Local News: Cedric "The Entertainer," to be pararde marshal (10/19/07). October 19, 2007.
- 6.IMDb.com. Cedric the Entertainer: Biography. August 2022.
- 7.King, Lynnea Chapman. The Coen Brothers Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. 37. October 10, 2014. 978-0-8108-8577-6.
- 8.The Byron Scott Podcast. How Did Cedric The Entertainer Get His Name?. YouTube. January 29, 2023.
- 9.Franklin, Krystal. It's A Mini Steve Harvey Show Reunion: Terri J. Vaughn & Cedric The Entertainer Reunited. tvone.tv. July 20, 2018.
- 10.Steve Harvey almost passed on Steve Harvey Show if Cedric The Entertainer wasn't included. Fox Sports.
- 11.SuperFest: Cedric the Entertainer talks The Original Kings of Comedy; being a Triple Threat. news.yahoo.com. May 27, 2023.
- 12.Christian, M. A. Cedric the Entertainer shares views on his rising stardom, being black in Hollywood, and what he learned from Barbershop. Jet. 103. 18. 58–62. 2003.
- 13.Brown, Preezy. Cedric The Entertainer Reveals Story Behind Threats Skit On Jay-Z's The Black Album. Vibe.com. June 1, 2022.
- 14.Rodgers, Josh. Despite Earning $150k For Barbershop; Cedric The Entertainer Admits it Bolstered His Career. AfroTech.com. February 23, 2023.
- 15.Cedric's back to steal the show in Barbershop 2. Today.com. February 4, 2004.
- 16.Fleming, Mike Jr. Malcolm D. Lee To Helm 'Barbershop 3′ For MGM. Deadline Hollywood. February 19, 2015.
- 17.Munoz, Lorenza. Black Leaders Angered by Scene Say 'Barbershop' Needs a Trim. Los Angeles Times.
- 18.Gary Susman. Barbershop jokes anger civil rights activists. Ew.com. 24 September 2002.
- 19.Spinning Charlotte's Web with Cedric The Entertainer. Hollywood.com. December 16, 2006.
- 20.Champ Car adds some star power. sbsun.com. October 7, 2005.
- 21.NPR. Cedric the Entertainer at the White House. NPR.org. May 2, 2005.
- 22.Busis, Hilary. White House Correspondents Dinner: All-time best laughs. Entertainment Weekly. April 25, 2015.
- 23.Washington, Julie. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins starts as a snoozer but ends on refreshing note. Cleveland.com. February 8, 2008.
- 24.Fuller, Alice. Cedric Still an Entertainer in Street Kings. Los Angeles Sentinel. April 18, 2008.
- 25.Stanton, L. Cedric the Entertainer. Current Biography. 65. 2. 3–6. 2004.
- 26.Marquis Who's Who LLC, 2016. Who's Who in America. 2016.
- 27.Cedric the Entertainer. Contemporary Black Biography. 60. 35–37. 2007.
- 28.St. Louis Walk of Fame. St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees. stlouiswalkoffame.org.
- 29.Kelly, Adam. WWE RAW Results - 21/09/2009.
- 30.The Masked Man from Cedric's RAW Revealed, WrestleMania in Atlanta?. Wrestlescoop.com.
- 31.Silvestri, Max. We found it on Netflix Instant: Dance Fu. Grantland.com. August 23, 2012.
- 32.Revival of Mamet's American Buffalo Finds a Broadway Home. Playbill.com. August 19, 2008.
- 33.Cedric the Entertainer prepares for Nashville and NBC. The Tennessean. June 22, 2011.
- 34.Andreeva, Nellie. 'The Soul Man' Picked Up For Fifth & Final Season By TV Land. Deadline Hollywood. July 28, 2015.
- 35.WABC TV. Cedric 'The Entertainer' to host 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'.
- 36.Cedric the Entertainer to leave 'Millionaire'. USA Today. April 30, 2014.
- 37.Terry Crews Named New 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Host. The Hollywood Reporter. May 7, 2014.
- 38.Hunt Wilson, Stacy. Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield on Finding Laughs in Gentrification. The New York Times. September 28, 2018.
- 39.Braxton, Greg. There's an enemy out there; say's Cedric the Entertainer, And he's ready to fight back. Los Angeles Times. November 16, 2020.
- 40.Hamilton, Gary. Cedric the Entertainer enjoying life in his Neighborhood. Associated Press. April 14, 2023.
- 41.Schneider, Michael. 'The Masked Singer' Season 13 Premiere Reveals Identity of Honey Pot: Here Is the Celebrity Under the Costume. Variety. February 12, 2025.
- 42.Hall, Margaret. See Who's Joined the Broadway Revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Playbill. November 24, 2025.
- 43.Uwumarogie, Victoria. Cedric the Entertainer Is A Proud Dad As Daughter Lucky Stuns At Senior Prom. Essence.com. June 8, 2021.
- 44.Musitafu, Akbur. Cedric the Entertainer's Wife Is His Queen Who Keeps Him Grounded. news.anomama.com. January 27, 2023.
- 45.Ruch, Amber. More than 1,500 SEMO graduates receive degrees. KFVS12. 2025-05-10.
- 46.Hoskins, Kelley. Cedric the Entertainer has a street named in his honor in north St. Louis. Fox 2 Now. December 15, 2018.
- 47.STL TV - City of St. Louis government access channel. Cedric the Entertainer Street Renaming Ceremony. January 17, 2019.
- 48.Behind The Voice Actors. Cedric the Entertainer (visual voices guide).
- 49.Grobar, Matt. Netflix's 2026 Film Slate: Dates For 'War Machine' & Other Titles, New Cast For Animated 'Swapped' Plus First-Look Pics For 'Enola Holmes 3,' More. Deadline Hollywood. January 7, 2026.
- 50.The ComicView Legacy. BET.
- 51.Bustos, Kristina. 2 Broke Girls casts Cedric the Entertainer in guest role. Digital Spy. October 1, 2012.
- 52.Abrams, Natalie. 2 Broke Girls Exclusive: Cedric the Entertainer is Coming to Town!. TV Guide. October 1, 2012.
- 53.Pace, Robert. Exclusive Clip: Real Husbands of Hollywood Tase Themselves. Entertainment Tonight. March 11, 2013.
- 54.NG, Philiana. Cedric the Entertainer to Host Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The Hollywood Reporter. March 20, 2013.
- 55.Samuels, Allison. Cedric the Entertainer Wants to Make You A Millionaire. The Daily Beast. September 2, 2013.
- 56.Pesce, Nicole. Cedric the Entertainer's Barber Battle on CW will see who makes the cut. New York Daily News. April 16, 2015.
- 57.Kickham, Dylan. Another Period: Riki Lindhome on spoofing Kimye and punching dogs in latest episode. Entertainment Weekly. August 4, 2016.
- 58.Westmoore, Jean. You Should Be Watching: Master of None. The Buffalo News. May 22, 2017.
- 59.Ramirez, Christina. Usher and Anthony Anderson Face Off in an Epic Rap Battle on Drop the Mic. People. October 24, 2017.
- 60.Espiritu, Emmanuelle. Nightcap Season 2 Episode 7: Series About to End? Debra Messing, Brendan Fraser to Guest Star. The Christian Post. July 7, 2017.
- 61.Comedy Get Down Crew Celebrates 100th Show in style. Center Stage Comedy. April 26, 2018.
- 62.Abrams, Natalie. Superior Donuts casts Cedric the Entertainer as Franco's father. Entertainment Weekly. March 28, 2017.
- 63.Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Announces Two More Seasons of Comedy Game Show Funny You Should Ask. PR Newswire. January 23, 2020.
- 64.Pedersen, Erik. Tracy Morgan TBS Series Gets A Title, Adds Cedric The Entertainer & Others. Deadline Hollywood. May 17, 2017.
- 65.Triplett, Steffan. One Good Thing: A magically soothing cartoon that lets friendship last forever. Vox. December 18, 2020.
- 66.Cedric The Entertainer – The Neighborhood Cast Member – CBS. CBS.
- 67.Romano, Nick. Melissa McCarthy own's Sia in Nobodies season 2 trailer. Entertainment Weekly. March 6, 2018.
- 68.Macrae, Grace. Power season 6: Famous guest stars revealed in run up to huge finale showdown. Daily Express. November 22, 2019.
- 69.Tyrell, Caitlin. Cedric the Entertainer Hosts His Own Award Show In CBS Greatest @Home Videos. Screen Rant. February 17, 2023.
- 70.Brockington, Ariana. Every Celeb Who Makes A Sly Voice Cameo In Hulu's Woke. Refinery29. September 11, 2021.
- 71.Dawn, Randee. Cedric The Entertainer leads fun Emmys opening with Rita Wilson, other stars. Today. September 19, 2021.
- 72.Ordona, Michael. Cedric the Entertainer will host live, in-person 2021 Emmy ceremony. Los Angeles Times. July 12, 2021.
- 73.Swift, Andy. The Proud Family Revival Ordered at Disney+ With Original Cast — First Look. TVLine. February 27, 2020.
- 74.Cobb, Kayla. 'John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA' Sets Live Guests. TheWrap. 2024-04-30.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1032601167, Cedric the Entertainer.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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