Netflix Is A Joke Presents: Monderays with Deray Davis ft. Michael Blackson, Finesse Mitchell, James Davis, Lewis Belt, Just Nesh and more TBA!
Events
Hollywood Improv (The Main Room) Special Event
DO NOT PURCHASE TICKETS FROM ANYONE OR ANY OTHER SITE OTHER THAN IMPROV.COM
TICKET RESALE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
TICKETS SUSPECTED OF BEING PURCHASED FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF RESELLING MAY BE CANCELLED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE HOLLYWOOD IMPROV.
EVENT INFO:
There is a two-item minimum purchase requirement in the showroom for all guests.
Seating is general admission, first-come, first-served, with the exception of groups and premium booths.
No cell phone use, photography or video recording is permitted during performances.
All sales are final.
MISCELLANOUS:
For group sales info, e-mail our Events Manager to learn about special menu options and reserved seating.
Additional questions may be addressed in our Frequently Asked Questions.
For further assistance, contact Hollywood Improv.
DeRay Davis
Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, comedian-turned-actor DeRay Davis can most recently be "scene" starring opposite Taraji P. Henson’s “Cookie Lyons” as her go-to hitman/cousin “Jermel” in seasons 1 and 2 of the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, creative collaboration, Empire on the FOX network.
After his wildly successful 1 hour Showtime Comedy Special, DeRay Davis: Power Play that aired to rave reviews, Davis continues to ascend on what can only be described as the Samuel E. Jackson Formula; a path and pattern of consistent, feature film and network television roles! After his first, single card credit, as “Spooner” in John Carpenter’s remake of The Fog (2005), it has been eleven years (and counting) of back to back, prominently featured/starring roles in both film (32+) and television (50+) staring opposite Hollywood heavy hitters. License to Wed opposite John Krasinski, Semi-Pro opposite Will Ferrell, Imagine That opposite Eddie Murphy, Life As We Know It opposite Katherine Heigl, Old Dogs opposite Robin Williams & John Travolta, 21 Jump Street (2012) opposite Channing Tatum & Johnny Depp, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - just to name a few.
Between takes, on the afore mentioned nationally released feature films, Davis continued to star and sometimes contribute as producer/writer in a steady stream of network television movies, mini-series, variety shows and sitcoms. One of DeRay’s first credited writer/ Voice Over roles was on Kanye West earlier Albums (and you thought that was Bernie Mac, didn’t you?) Davis contributed 5+ Voice Over Character roles on Multi Seasons of The Boondocks , Adult Swim’s Black Dynamite and continued sharpening his comedic craft by starring on almost every season of Nick Cannon’s Wild n Out from its conception to current airing on MTV as well as Hip-Hop Squares, Short Circuitz and Hosting the game show Mind of a Man on GSN. This led to his currently starring as Host on MTV2’s Joking Off currently in its second season (release date TBA)!
Davis transformed his torridly rough upbringing, status as a working actor and fatherhood into a live show that stays fresh and ever changing according to whatever is happening in his daily life while he continues to develop and hone his streetwise mentality smoothly and efficiently onto the comedy-club circuit. He achieved his career breakthrough at the Laffapalooza Festival in Atlanta, GA, and then scored a 3-peat by winning the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and landing covetable spots in the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival as well as the Budweiser Def Comedy Jam Competition.
From the Hood to Hollywood – nothing is off limits and no one is safe from DeRay’s hilarious, sidesplitting anecdotes. He continues to sell out venues both domestically and internationally. His highly anticipated 1st ever Netflix special “DeRay Davis: How to Act Black” smashed the cultural landscape on November 14, 2017 and was so popular it shut down the Netflix server TWICE! Davis is continuing to ascend. He can currently be seen on the FX hit, Snowfall.
Michael Blackson
He has been called one of the most original stand-up comics in the country, and his performances leave audiences laughing in tears. Michael Blackson, aka, ‘The African King of Comedy', has been entertaining audiences all across the country and around the globe for more than a decade. Inspired by the stand up comedy of Eddie Murphy, Blackson began to develop his comedic talent in 1992 in the unkind comedy clubs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Blackson’s comedic appeal grew from his involvement with BET’s ComicView series, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at Harlem, and Live in Hollywood. However, it was in a Los Angeles comedy club where Blackson got his big break. Blackson was performing at the Comedy Store where actor/director Ice Cube was in attendance to see comedian Mike Epps perform. But after experiencing Blackson’s performance, Ice Cube invited the young comic for a reading…and the rest is smash hit history! Blackson’s outstanding and unforgettable performance in the smash hit comedy, Next Friday, drew praise and a fan following like no other.
After his scene stealing performance in Next Friday, fans wanted more, and in 2005, Blackson would not disappoint. He released his top-selling sketch comedy CD entitled, Modasucka, Welcome to America. With Blackson, the work never stops. Along with special guest appearances on some of the hottest music videos, Blackson stole the stage on P. Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy on HBO and starred in a commercial for the Chappelle Show on Comedy Central. There’s no mistaking Blackson for any other comedian when he takes the stage.
And what about those Dashikis? When he takes the stage, clad in the finest Dashikis the Motherland has to offer, “The African King of Comedy? is born! Along with his film and television endeavors, Blackson continues to entertain his fans as the headliner for live shows at comedy clubs, universities and special events, bringing his one-of-a kind, must-see stand-up performance to audiences all across the country and around the world.
Finesse Mitchell
Finesse Mitchell has been seen almost everywhere. He’s currently on Hulu's History Of The World Part II playing the Rev. Jesse Jackson opposite of Wanda Sykes. He’s guest-hosted for The Wendy Williams talk show on Fox. He’s a guest judge on Netflix’s, “Is It Cake?”, a favorite celeb guest on Pictionary, and Fox’s last Lego-Masters Bricktacular holiday event.
Finesse has been a multi-faceted actor, author, and stand-up comedian with four one-hour comedy specials titled, “Snap Famous”, “One Man Monster”, “The Spirit Told Me To Tell You” and 2023’s self-produced “Slightly Offensive” under his belt.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Finesse graduated from the University of Miami and is a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He is also a former student-athlete who was a walk-on for the National Champion Hurricanes football team where he played Hurricane greats like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Warren Sapp, and Ray Lewis.
Finesse entered the comedy scene in 1999 with appearances on BET’s Comic View and Comedy Central. In 2003, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for three seasons where he played the memorable “Starrkeisha” and frequently appeared on “Weekend Update” with Seth Myers as Morgan Freeman, 50 Cent, and Bobby Brown. In addition to being an SNL Alum, his other television acting credits include NBC’s Kenan, Fox’s Outmatched, ABC’s Splitting Up Together, Showtime’s Roadies, Disney Channel’s A.N.T. Farm (China’s Dad), and TBS Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns.
Mitchell has also appeared on daytime talk shows such as The Talk on CBS, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Real, Dish Nation, and NBC’s Today Show. During late-night, you might have seen him on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, The Arsenio Hall Show, and Comic’s Unleashed just to name a few.
James Davis
ADORABLENESS: Comedian James Davis will host the show, which promises “the cutest, snuggliest and most adorable clips ever,” according to the series description. “But don’t worry, it’s not all fluff… cute kids will turn sour, fluffy dogs will attack and little old ladies may just curse like a sailor – these are adorable clips with a bite.” – THE WRAP
Hood Adjacent with James Davis premiered on Comedy Central in 2017 to rave reviews, where Davis explores contemporary urban topics and shares his perspective on the world he grew up in through a unique, hybrid style of comedy that bridges the gap between urban and mainstream comedy.
In 2021, James hosted Golf Road Trippin’ on NBC’s Golf Pass. In 2019, James’ released his 1-hour special, James Davis: Live from the Town on Comedy Central and hosted Awake: The Million Dollar Game on Netflix. Prior to this, James wrote for The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS and was a recurring character on Kevin Hart's hit show Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Lewis Belt
Stand up comedian and actor known for his online social media presence and alter-ego Sonniebo. He appeared on season 7 of the MTV series Are You the One?
These days, Lewis can be found on Amazon Prime Video where you can stream or buy his debut comedy special. NBA All-Star and Executive Producer Demarcus followed up his Boogie's Comedy Slam release with the debut of his Rookie of the Year series showcasing new comedic talent. In this installment, Lewis put on a hilarious performance filmed at the historic Paramount Theatre in Oakland, CA.
Just Nesh
Taneshia "Just Nesh" Rice is one of the most high energy acts on the comedy circuit today. Most recently, Taneshia was featured on Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City on Comedy Central and the New season of Def comedy Jam .Taneshia has quickly evolved into one of the most popular comedy acts on the Scene. Just Nesh has featured for comedy favorites such as Mike Epps, Cedric the Entertainer, Paul Mooney Deray Davis , Craig Robinson, Corey Holcomb and the late Dick Gregory. Taneshia has earned the admiration of her peers by winning over audiences with her unique brand of stand up comedy. You can follow her on Instagram @JustNesh.