What Happened to D.L. Hughley? The Comedian Passed Out Onstage in Nashville
By Ricky PinelaUpdated
D.L. Hughley's has been a successful comedian for several decades at this point. His career in comedy began in 1992, when he landed a gig hosting ComicView, a stand-up comedy show on BET. He then went on to writing, producing, and starring in his own sitcom series called The Hughleys. The television show was based on his life — growing up Black in suburban Los Angeles. He has since starred in various comedy specials, television shows and even hosted the BET awards in 2008.
On top of his already successful comic career, D.L. is also an author, having written I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America; Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years; and How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People.
What happened to D.L. Hughley?
Comedian D.L. Hughley was performing a set at a Nashville club on Jun 19, 2020 when he began to slur his words and passed out on stage. TMZ reported that the incident happened around 11 p.m.. at Zanies Comedy Club — D.L. was performing to a sold out crowd when out of nowhere, he seemed out of breath. One minute after a security guard handed him a bottle of water, D.L. fainted while leaning against a stool.
Luckily, D.L.’s manager was there to catch him and carry him off the stage. In a video of the incident, you can hear worried muttering and confusion from the crowd. D.L. was taken out of the venue on a stretcher, where an ambulance and fire truck arrived. Despite the chaos and confusion, no one addressed the crowd on the events that occurred, so fans left the venue with many questions.
According to D.L.’s rep, the comedian is currently recovering from the incident. Apparently, D.L. was “suffering from exhaustion after all the week’s work and travel, and was kept overnight at the hospital for tests under doctor’s orders. He is awake and feeling better, and wishes to thank everyone for the very kind prayer and thoughts."
Fans of D.L. took to Twitter to express their concerns about the incident. Many began to speculate whether or not his medical emergency had anything to do with the coronavirus, sparking concern for the amount of people in the club who weren't wearing face masks for protection. Other fans dismissed these conspiracies, focusing their concern on the comedian's health.
Prayers for D. L. Hughley 🙏🏽 that was pretty scary to watch.
— Lex. (@PEACE_XI_III) June 20, 2020
#comedy D.L. Hughley passed out on stage at Zanies Nashville. pic.twitter.com/fHzCq4rqkq
— Chris Faulkner (@ArkaneX_) June 20, 2020
Some people began to shift the attention toward a different problem — sold out comedy clubs during a global pandemic. COVID-19 cases are still growing, so doing the opposite of social distancing is going against the CDC's advisories.
I didn’t know comedy shows were happening again. There were so many people at the D.L. Hughley show. And I didn’t see any of masks. 🤢
— Tia (@arollingbeauty) June 20, 2020
D.L. Hughley passes out, while performing before a room full of people not wearing masks! PRAYERS UP!!!
— KnixTix MeMeKing (@KnixTix4294) June 20, 2020
The Rona is real. #WearAMask https://t.co/H7OTsNc4BZ
Pandemic not over. This is proof. Stay inside unless absolutely necessary to come out, DL Hughley is 57 years old in a room full of people who aren’t wearing masks or social distancing. This makes me extremely upset that people can’t follow the rules. https://t.co/O0rBFtqTgu
— Flow🏁 (@Flowmyhero) June 20, 2020
WHY was no one in the comedy club full of black people in Nashville where DL Hughley passed out NOT wearing a mask?
— Darryn M. Briggs (@darryn_briggs) June 20, 2020
WHAT in the HELL is wrong with everybody? Do people believe this pandemic is not real? Does everyone need to bury a loved one before taking this seriously?
Yall ignorant af ..worried about D.L Hughley having his comedy show during the pandemic but this man literally passed out during his set ..worried about the wrong damn thing ....my prayers are with him and im feeling hopeful that everything is ok.
— cae🇩🇴 (@morenaaflow) June 20, 2020
Love DL Hughley and hope he's OK but why the hell is he doing comedy shows right now with everything going on. Does he really need the money that bad?
— Justin Johnson (@roadtosuccesses) June 20, 2020
In a recent interview with VLADTV, D.L. touched on the fact that he has lost 70-percent of his income because of the coronavirus pandemic. This leads many fans to believe he is overworking himself now that social distancing measures have loosened up, giving him the chance to sell out shows and make up for his lost money.
D.L. Hughley's condition following his passing out onstage on June 19 wasn't immediately known. Hopefully, the scary episode can be chalked up to exhaustion and not another, more serious, medical condition. Get well soon!