Adele Givens
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Born Name:
Adele Givens
Born Date: January 3, 1960
Born Place: Chicago, Illinois
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations: Comedian, actress, writer
Brief Biography: Adele Givens is widely celebrated as one of the pioneers of modern Black female stand-up comedy. Born on January 3, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois, she is famous for her raw, unapologetic, and "in-your-face" style of humor. Her famous catchphrase is, "I am SUCH a lady".
Early Career & Breakthrough:
The Big Debut: Givens made her professional stand-up debut at Chicago's Regal Theater on February 3, 1990.
Contest Streak: She won the Crown Royal Comedy Contest in Chicago. She was also a finalist in the prominent Miller Lite Comedy Search.
Def Comedy Jam: Her breakout nationwide success came via Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam. Her high-energy performances quickly earned her heavy fan praise and recurring appearances.
The Queens of Comedy:
Givens cemented her legendary status by joining forces with Mo'Nique, Sommore, and Laura Hayes for the massive Queens of Comedy Tour.
The groundbreaking tour played to sold-out venues across the United States.
The filmed special aired on Showtime and became one of the network's highest-rated stand-up specials.
The accompanying audio album scored a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album.
Television & Film Highlights:
Givens leveraged her stage popularity into a successful acting career with numerous notable roles:
Television Sitcoms: She guest-starred on classic sitcoms like Martin, Moesha, and The Parkers. She held a recurring role on Tracey Takes On... and was a series regular on the hit UPN sitcom The Hughleys.
Film Roles: She made her film debut playing the memorable character "Tricks" in the 1998 cult classic The Players Club. She later played DJ Hollerin' Helen in the 2005 comedy film Beauty Shop.
Music Features: Her voice was sampled on hit songs by artists like Lil' Kim and Big Sean. In 2018, her vocals and imagery were heavily featured on the massive global hit single "I Love It" by Kanye West and Lil Pump.
Radio & Other Ventures:
Morning Radio: She co-hosted the highly rated The Crazy Howard McGee and Adele Givens Morning Show on WGCI 107.5 in Chicago.
Spoken Word: An avid writer and poet, Givens frequently merges spoken word poetry directly into her stand-up sets.
Born Date: January 3, 1960
Born Place: Chicago, Illinois
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations: Comedian, actress, writer
Brief Biography: Adele Givens is widely celebrated as one of the pioneers of modern Black female stand-up comedy. Born on January 3, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois, she is famous for her raw, unapologetic, and "in-your-face" style of humor. Her famous catchphrase is, "I am SUCH a lady".
Early Career & Breakthrough:
The Big Debut: Givens made her professional stand-up debut at Chicago's Regal Theater on February 3, 1990.
Contest Streak: She won the Crown Royal Comedy Contest in Chicago. She was also a finalist in the prominent Miller Lite Comedy Search.
Def Comedy Jam: Her breakout nationwide success came via Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam. Her high-energy performances quickly earned her heavy fan praise and recurring appearances.
The Queens of Comedy:
Givens cemented her legendary status by joining forces with Mo'Nique, Sommore, and Laura Hayes for the massive Queens of Comedy Tour.
The groundbreaking tour played to sold-out venues across the United States.
The filmed special aired on Showtime and became one of the network's highest-rated stand-up specials.
The accompanying audio album scored a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album.
Television & Film Highlights:
Givens leveraged her stage popularity into a successful acting career with numerous notable roles:
Television Sitcoms: She guest-starred on classic sitcoms like Martin, Moesha, and The Parkers. She held a recurring role on Tracey Takes On... and was a series regular on the hit UPN sitcom The Hughleys.
Film Roles: She made her film debut playing the memorable character "Tricks" in the 1998 cult classic The Players Club. She later played DJ Hollerin' Helen in the 2005 comedy film Beauty Shop.
Music Features: Her voice was sampled on hit songs by artists like Lil' Kim and Big Sean. In 2018, her vocals and imagery were heavily featured on the massive global hit single "I Love It" by Kanye West and Lil Pump.
Radio & Other Ventures:
Morning Radio: She co-hosted the highly rated The Crazy Howard McGee and Adele Givens Morning Show on WGCI 107.5 in Chicago.
Spoken Word: An avid writer and poet, Givens frequently merges spoken word poetry directly into her stand-up sets.