All Def Comedy returns to HBO tonight, premiering the first of five weekly stand-up showcases hosted by Tony Rock on Friday nights from Dec. 1-29.
The season showcases well-known comedians such as Deon Cole, DeRay Davis, Gary Owen and JJ Williamson, along with emerging comic talents like Alex Babbitt, Tony Baker, Sydney Castillo, Henry Coleman, D’Lai, Ryan Davis, Kareem Green, Jess Hilarious, Nate Jackson, Kelly Kellz, Na’im Lynn, Karlous Miller, Just Nesh, Leonard Ouzts, Robert Powell, Teddy Ray, Jordan Rock, Daphnique Springs, Clayton Thomas and Mark Viera.
It won’t feature the man who created All Def Comedy as well as its predecessor, Def Comedy Jam, which premiered 25 years ago on HBO.
“HBO will be airing All Def Comedy as planned. However, Russell Simmons will not appear in the new series and we will be removing his name from the show moving forward. The series is a platform for promising and upcoming comedians and we do not want to deprive them of an opportunity to showcase their talents to a national audience. We have no other projects with Russell Simmons.”
Simmons stepped down just this week from his companies after renewed allegations of sexual abuse against him.
He was all over HBO’s All Def Comedy one-off special in 2016.
And Netflix recently premiered an all-star special: Def Comedy Jam 25.