D.L. Hughley turns the jokes on himself in new memoir ‘Charlie’s Boy’

D.L. Hughley grew up asking questions.

He was curious about his family and the world around him, sometimes annoying his mother with questions about his father. Small for his age and frequently bullied by neighborhood kids, Hughley eventually discovered that humor could be both a defense and a way of making sense of what he saw around him.

“I took my slings and arrows before you could put it on social media. I was the first one picked for a fight but the last one picked for a game,” Hughley said. “I didn’t have to be a hero, villain, make things bigger or smaller. I just had to give an unvarnished account of the way I saw things.”

For decades, Hughley has built his career on observational humor about politics, race, pop culture and American life. Now, in “Charlie’s Boy,” his memoir released Tuesday, the comedian is turning that scrutiny on himself.

Named for what neighborhood residents called him as a child, the book traces Hughley’s life from South Central Los Angeles to comedy stardom while confronting marriage, infidelity, racism, fatherhood, grief and the politics of the entertainment industry.

The book, co-written by Geoffrey Gray, was scheduled to publish in May, but Hughley spent 18 months traveling across the country to write and confront his past.

“It was the first time I’ve ever been late for a project. It was tough having to remember, have conversations, sort out all the s--- that’s happened to you about the way you grew up, and make it a cohesive story,” Hughley said. “It did not feel good to go through the process, but I am proud of it.”

“Charlie’s Boy” is not Hughley’s first book. In 2013, he authored “I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes is Ruining America.” His most recent book, “How to Survive America,” was released five years ago.

He said writing his memoir became an exercise in self-discovery.

“It’s the first time I wrote a book and didn’t know where the jokes would be or the story would go,” he said. “Generally, there’s a little distance between what I’m writing and what I feel, but this time, there wasn’t any distance. It was writing it and seeing what would happen.”

‘DL + DL: Anything Goes’

On Friday, Hughley is co-hosting “DL + DL: Anything Goes,” a live stage event combining stand-up comedy, a book signing and a conversation over a cocktail about hot topics with journalist Don Lemon at Atlanta Symphony Hall.

Hughley and Lemon previously staged two sold-out performances at City Winery Atlanta in February.

Atlanta resident Kim Byer-Clark attended the second City Winery Atlanta show. She said they were transparent onstage about how their relationship evolved.

“They were very brutally honest,” she said. “D.L. said he was not a fan of Don Lemon but has come to grow, like and respect him. The audience is going to be in for a treat.”

Hughley said the City Winery performances served as a “proving ground.”

“We don’t always feel and see things the same way, but it’s not combative all the time,” he said. “We have a dynamic where you can tell we’re very fond of each other.”

Lemon, who first performed with Hughley in June 2025, said Hughley is well-informed, resourceful and dedicated to his craft.

“He’s a very bright man who’s politically astute, tuned into what’s happening and locked in,” Lemon said. “Sometimes, he knows more about things than I do, because I’m in a bubble doing my live shows. He gives you the news with a twist, and it’s more accessible and palatable to people.”

Finding his voice

Before the television shows, radio program and sold-out comedy tours, Darryl Lynn Hughley was working in telemarketing and sales for the Los Angeles Times and performing stand-up in small venues.

His supervisor encouraged him to pursue his comedy full time, an early vote of confidence Hughley still remembers.

“You don’t make it in any industry or endeavor unless that happens,” Hughley said. “Somebody needs somebody somewhere who can see past what you already have in your bandwidth.”

In 1992, Hughley became the original host of BET’s “ComicView,” helping introduce Black audiences to a wide range of comedians while building his own national following.

“I wasn’t on major TV, but BET did exactly for me what those other mechanisms are now. I grew with the audience, but it’s so much easier now (because) on social media you can carve out a career for yourself,” he said.

Six years later, Hughley created and starred in “The Hughleys,” an ABC sitcom based loosely on his life as a husband and father. The show later moved to UPN and ran until 2002.

Hughley said working on a major network sitcom forced him to learn that talent alone wasn’t always enough.

“I needed to grow up. I don’t care how great or proficient you are at anything, there are going to be days where there’s a learning curve,” Hughley said. “It was learning about not only the industry but art and writing.”

In 2000, Hughley joined Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac for “The Original Kings of Comedy,” the landmark stand-up tour that became a concert film directed by Spike Lee.

“We were four men who loved their endeavor and each other and did this thing that made history and made Black people proud, and I was proud to be a part of that,” he said.

Over time, Hughley’s comedy increasingly became intertwined with his commentary on politics, race and current events.

Since 2013, he has hosted the nationally syndicated “The D.L. Hughley Show” on radio. This year, he debuted the weekly podcast “Uncertain with D.L. Hughley.”

Each platform, he said, requires a different kind of relationship with his audience.

“Television is a very intimate medium, and you have to invite people into your home,” he said. “Podcasting is a la carte. People have to ask for you and want to hear what you got to say.”