Looking back at comedian Donnell Rawlings’ career, one of his first credits is from the legendary TV show Def Comedy Jam in 1996.
If you ask Rawlings about it, he will respond in a way that makes you wonder if you asked the wrong question. Then he does what he knows best and makes a joke.
“Alright, just tell everybody I’m over 50,” Rawlings laughed.
He will perform on Greenville’s Main Street at The Comedy Zone with five shows: Jan. 5 at 7 and 9 p.m., Jan. 6 at 6 and 9 p.m, and Jan. 7 at 6 p.m.
The Alexandria, Virginia native’s career began in the 1990s. He became widely known as a regular cast member on the hit Chappelle’s Show in the early 2000s on Comedy Central.
He hosts a podcast, The Donnell Rawlings Show, and has an upcoming Netflix special he filmed in November 2023. Rawlings said the special tackles complicated topics like co-parenting and mental health. But those bits won’t be the bulk of his show at The Comedy Zone.
“This is what I call ‘the process,’ or the process of starting all over. So you’ll probably get some classic bits from me, but for the most part, it’s a lot of new stuff that I’ll be trying out and working out,” Rawlings said.
With such a long history, it’s easy to think it’s been a nonstop success. The truth is that becoming a comedian is hard work. As Rawlings tells it, it is more about facing rejection than it is about the good times.
“If you can be happy being broke, then you’ll be alright,” he said. “If you can find happiness in the come-up and the process, you’ll be alright.”
