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Early life

Cole was born on January 9, 1972, in Roseland in Chicago.² He was educated at Thornridge High School and earned an acting degree from Philander Smith College.³

Career

Cole started his career in comedy after a friend bet him $50 that he would not get up on stage one night in Chicago.⁴ Cole was on the writing staff for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien from 2009 to 2010,⁵⁶ and he worked as a writer for Conan from 2010 to 2012.⁷ He has appeared frequently in comedic bits for both broadcasts, and he has, along with the rest of the staff, received two Primetime Emmy nominations. Cole also performed on Conan O'Brien's "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour" in 2010.⁸

In February 2010, Cole performed on Comic Aid Haiti, a comedy performance that benefited victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.⁹ Cole has performed stand up on other programs such as John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show, Mash Up and Lopez Tonight. Cole created his own production company, Cole Blooded, to produce the sketch comedy show Deon Cole's Black Box.¹⁰ It premiered on TBS, on June 10, 2013, but was canceled on October 25, 2013.¹¹

Cole had a recurring role on the ABC sitcom Black-ish as Charlie Telphy. He was promoted to a main role in season 4. He later made several appearances in Black-ish's spin-off Grown-ish.¹² Cole was cast on Angie Tribeca from 2016 to 2018. Cole hosted the game show Face Value on BET in 2017. That year, he also performed in a half-hour set in the Netflix original series The Standups.¹³

In October 2019, Netflix released a stand-up special called Deon Cole: Cole Hearted.¹⁴ Since 2019, Cole has been a part of a television ad campaign for Old Spice body wash, alongside actress/comedian Gabrielle Dennis.¹⁵

On June 25, 2020, Cole appeared on To Tell the Truth and won the Doris Award, becoming the second panelist to do so.¹⁶

On May 6, 2023, Cole received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. ¹⁷¹⁸

Personal life

Cole has a son, Dylan.¹⁹ Cole is a single parent who keeps things private regarding his son's mother.²⁰

Filmography

Film

Television

Comedy Specials

External links

• Official website
• Deon Cole at IMDb

References

1. Del Rosario, Alexandra (April 8, 2022). "Average Joe: Deon Cole To Topline BET+ Dark Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 26, 2023. https://deadline.com/2022/04/deon-cole-topline-average-joe-bet-dark-comedy-1234996747/ ↩

2. Kyles, Kyra (November 12, 2009). "Comic Heroes: Chicago comics breaking into the spotlight on their own terms". Chicago Tribune. p. 30. https://www.proquest.com/docview/420907199 ↩

3. "Soul Train Awards 2022: Who Is Deon Cole? Get To Know This Year's Host". BET. Retrieved July 1, 2024. https://www.bet.com/soul-train-awards/articles/9y0hsu/soul-train-awards-2022-who-is-deon-cole-get-to-know-this-years-host/ ↩

4. Socci, Blair (June 13, 2013). "Talking to Deon Cole About Standup, 'Conan,' and His New TBS Show 'Black Box' Archived July 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". Split Sider. The Awl. retrieved July 4, 2017. http://splitsider.com/2013/06/talking-to-deon-cole-about-stand-up-conan-and-his-new-tbs-show-black-box/ ↩

5. Kyles, Kyra (November 12, 2009). "Comic Heroes: Chicago comics breaking into the spotlight on their own terms". Chicago Tribune. p. 30. https://www.proquest.com/docview/420907199 ↩

6. "How much longer can Conan stay at NBC?" Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg, Manitoba). January 14, 2010. p. D2. https://www.proquest.com/docview/752223399 ↩

7. Craft, Dan (September 4, 2014). "Cole mining: Deon digs for comedy's mother lode". TCA Regional News. (Chicago). https://www.proquest.com/docview/1559957379 ↩

8. Brown, K Williams (April 13, 2010). "One woman's tale of Conan O'Brien's comedy tour kick-off". Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon). https://www.proquest.com/docview/440417959 ↩

9. "Comic Aide for Haiti". Los Angeles Sentinel. February 25, 2010. p. B7. https://www.proquest.com/docview/369280125 ↩

10. Ho, Rodney (May 16, 2013). "TBS/TNT to stream shows for subscribers". McClatchy-Tribune. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1352758522 ↩

11. "Deon Cole comes home for 'Black Code' comedy". Chicago Tribune. November 22, 2013. p. 3. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1460425672 ↩

12. "Black-ish Actor Deon Cole Has A Hilarious Idea For The Name Of Charlie's Spinoff". Cinema Blend. Retrieved July 18, 2023. https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/black-ish-actor-deon-cole-has-a-hilarious-idea-for-the-name-of-charlies-spinoff ↩

13. "Deon Cole Goes Small With Netflix's The Standups". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2023. https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/deon-cole/deon-cole-goes-small-with-netflixs-the-stand-ups ↩

14. "Watch Deon Cole: Cole Hearted | Netflix Official Site". Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/title/80995737 ↩

15. "How Comedian Deon Cole Landed the Iconic Old Spice Guy Role". Backstage. Retrieved July 8, 2023. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/deon-cole-old-spice-guy-interview-74952/ ↩

16. "Can Deon Cole Win the Coveted Doris Award? - To Tell the Truth". Youtube. Retrieved July 8, 2023. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MCH3CReWJWo/ ↩

17. "Comedian, Actor & PSC Alumnus Deon Cole to Keynote Philander Smith's 2023 Commencement Ceremony". Philander Smith University. May 6, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023. https://www.philander.edu/about-us/news/details/~board/news/post/comedian-actor-psc-alumnus-deon-cole-to-keynote-philander-smiths-2023-commencement-ceremony ↩

18. Dixon, Delaina (August 7, 2023). "Deon cole on his new comedy tour, catering to the 'freaks' and why the actors' strike is so needed". Ebony Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2023. https://www.ebony.com/deon-cole-on-his-new-comedy-tour-catering-to-the-freaks-and-why-the-actors-strike-is-so-needed/ ↩

19. Cole, Deon [@deoncole] (September 15, 2015). "Happy birthday 2 the love of my life! My son Dylan! Thanks 4 putting up w/ me and my work! Its all 4 u! Love u 4ever!..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Twitter. https://x.com/deoncole/status/643845827115511808 ↩

20. "Soul Train Awards Host Deon Cole Son Dylan Cole". thefamilynation.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023. https://thefamilynation.com/deon-cole-son-dylan-cole ↩