The Original Kings of Comedy Celebrated Bernie Mac
This week, Steve Harvey is celebrating comedy groundbreakers week and he was particularly proud to put back together “the boys” of The Kings of Comedy. “We haven’t been together in eight years”, Harvey said before introducing Original Kings of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer, and D.L. Hughley. Not present, of course, was the fourth King of Comedy, Bernie Mac, who passed away in 2008. Mac died of pneumonia complications. He was fighting the inflammatory disease sarcoidosis. In fact, Harvey said, the last time all three surviving “kings” were together was in 2008 as they gathered to pay their last respects to Mac, at his funeral.
But Mac was on everyone’s mind and in everyone’s hearts on Monday, as Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and Hughley paid honor to their friend, and Harvey had a few surprises to share with the audience. First, he cut to comedian Mike Epps via video feed. Epps was at Chicago Vocational High School in the south side of Chicago, where Bernie Mac went to high school. He was on stage in front of a full auditorium of students and alumni, and helped to announce they were renaming the auditorium after Mac. “Bernie Mac paved the way for a lot of great comedians like myself, and it’s a great time to honor this man,” Epps said.
Back in studio, Harvey also read a proclamation from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, “in recognition of Bernie’s remarkable life and legacy,” establishing November 14th as Bernie Mac Day. Bernie Mac’s high school sweetheart, their daughter and granddaughter were in the audience, and moved to tears.
The beloved live comedy film “The Original Kings of Comedy” was directed by Spike Lee, and released in 2000 featuring Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac, live on stage in North Carolina.
