I know ONE female blogger who is having a delicious laugh right now.
From Cityfile New York (via Gawker):
Comedian D.L. Hughley was pummeled by critics when his weekend talk show debuted on CNN last fall. “What the hell was CNN thinking?” a columnist for AdAge asked after watching the first episode. It remains unclear what was running through the minds of CNN execs when they signed him up for the spectacularly unfunny program featuring painfully awkward interviews. But the network may have come to its senses or at least decided to cut its losses. A source tells us that CNN has decided to cancel the show due to “budgetary constraints.” We haven’t heard back yet from reps at CNN, although the move wouldn’t be surprising given CNN’s troubles as of late and the fact that HLN (the network you used to know as Headline News) is now “beating its older sibling CNN in the target 25-54 demo,” according to Broadcasting & Cable. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.
CNN has stated that they will continue to work with DL’s unfunny ass as a contributor.
Of course, none of this would have happened if it had been Aisha Tyler or Wanda Sykes. But, don’t listen to me, CNN. Pick the guy who struggles to formulate complete sentences and is best known for making fun of people who have the audacity to sit in the front row of his shows.
For the record: For those who don’t get why people dumped all over D.L. for this show, you must understand: People disliked it because it was bad. And considering black people are no longer in this place of media desperation where we have to be “grateful” for shitacular displays of Negroes on TV, folks freely complained that out of the history of CNN the first black person to be given his own show just happened to be a comic. Not a journalist. Not a political figure. But a comedian. And not even a particularly funny, politically astute, smart one.
You know? Like his nerdy hot competition on Comedy Central. I’m suuuuuure DL kept Jon-Jon and The Colbert Nation up late at nights in sweats.
And these shows do not die because black people “complain.” They die based on ratings. Networks have historically (especially when they’re starting out) worked hard to “woo” a minority audience to build advertising dollars. Once they get the money (see FOX, the WB and later the CW), the black shows, no matter how popular (see, “Living Single,” “Girlfriends,” “A Different World” and “NY Undercover”) are cancelled with the swiftness. In the case of Living Single (then the most popular show on FOX) and Girlfriends (the second most popular show behind America’s Next Top Model), the cancellation was all about the network wanting to go in a different, more “mainstream” (re: white folk) direction.
Not random “hateration.” If black folk could “hate” something off the air, sweet Jesus we should have murdered Ray J.’s show in the crib from all the bitching. “I Love New York” would have NEVER EXISTED.
Someone brought this topic up the last time I made fun of Hughley’s ability to kill shows. I decided, finally, to say something. Mostly because I get exhausted with the “Must support all black entertainment no matter how shitty” argument, which has been out-dated since Nat King Cole broke the TV color-line.
Once you had a choice between the dapper nature of Nat and the buffoonery of Amos and Andy folks knew what the deal was.
As for D.L., I’ve interviewed the guy. He’s a nice enough guy. But, c’mon, dude is seriously deficient in the funny department. Chris Rock once had a bit about the black comic hierarchy in Hollywood and how it starts with “Let’s call Eddie/Will,” then works its way down to Jamie Foxx, then Martin Lawrence and then, and only then, when Martin says “Hell no,” someone calls Chris Rock.
Sometimes they’ll go through a few Wayans brothers before they get to Rock.
I’m saying D.L. isn’t even on that list. They’ll call Anthony Anderson first (and have). Or Katt Williams. Or Ice Cube. Or anyone. Nick Cannon. Anyone. They don’t call D.L. He is not on Brad Grey’s speed dial. He never even got as huge as Chris Tucker or Dave Chappelle did before they both decided celebrity life was not the life for them.
Black people get frustrated of being forced to “settle” for shitty entertainment. Great that he was successful. Great that DL made something of his life. I just didn’t have to watch his shitty show. It deserved to die just as much as his unfunny, bad George Jefferson clone UPN/CBS sitcom.
It. Deserved. To. Die.
Someday (but not today), producers will learn that all Negroes are not equal and will be a little more discriminating in the talent they select to carry their Daily Show knock-offs.
Which is why I cannot say Aisha Tyler’s name enough times. (And I don’t say this because the woman friended me on Twitter. I’ve been a fan since she was trolling late night talk shows in the 90s, making fun of her husband’s glaring whitness.) The woman went to Dartmouth. She used to host “Talk Soup.” She was the only thing worth watching on “Ghost Whisperer.” She once said being a black girl with a flat-booty was like having a handicap. How does this woman not have a show?
I can only assume CNN is scared of extremely good looking, smart, tall black women.
Live Your Best Life. 
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