Deon Cole Biography

Deon Cole was born on January 9, 1972, in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

He initially studied at the Thornridge High School and then obtained a degree in acting from the Philander Smith College.

Deon Cole first started his stint in the comedy arena totally by chance. Apparently, a friend had dared him to perform a stand-up comedy act for $50 in Chicago, and he had accepted the challenge.

He then joined the writing team of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and worked with them from 2009 to 2010. He then wrote for Conan from 2010 to 2012.

He has also appeared in various comedy segments on both the shows of Conan O'Brien. He has also shared two Primetime Emmy nominations for the show, with the rest of the cast. In 2010, Deon was part of Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.

In February that year, Deon Cole appeared on the show Comic Aide Haiti, which was organized to raise funds for the victims of the Haiti earthquake of 2010.

From 2016 to 2018, Deon Cole was part of the cast of Angie Tribeca (as Det. Daniel "DJ" Tanner). He was also seen in a TV promotional campaign for Old Spice body wash, with actor/comedian Gabrielle Dennis.

Deon Cole has been appreciated for his recurring role as Charlie Telphy in the ABC sitcom Black-ish. Starting with season 4, Cole began appearing in a main role. He was also seen in the spin-off of the show, Grown-ish.

He has been part of stand-up comedy acts on shows such as John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show, Lopez Tonight, and Mash Up. He also launched his production company, Coled Blooded, which produced the sketch comedy show Deon Cole's Black Box. The show first aired on TBS on June 10, 2013, but was taken down on October 25, 2013.

In 2017, Deon Cole appeared as a host on the game show Face Value on BET. The same year, he appeared in a half-hour act in the Netflix original series The Standups.

In October 2019, he appeared in the Netflix stand-up special Deon Cole: Cole Hearted. In June the following year, he was seen on the show To Tell the Truth. He won a Doris Award for his appearance on the show.

Deon treads carefully when joking about various topical issues, as he is wary of the sensitivity surrounding a few issues and the “cancel culture” that is prevalent in these times. For instance, while writing a joke about lesbianism, he spoke to his friends and sought their views before performing it on stage.

He has a personal website, deoncole.com, where one can find details about his shows and interviews. His brand of T-shirts and hoodies, too, are available on his site.

Deon Cole also works as a house music DJ occasionally. He has been part of several films, such as Barbershop (as Customer Dante, 2002), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (as Customer Dante, 2004), The Evil One (as Dejuan, 2005), Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), The Female Brain (as Steven, 2017), Holiday Rush (as Marshall Stone, 2019), and Friendsgiving (as Dan, 2020). Three of his films, Action #1, HeadShop, and Welcome Matt, are still in the post-production stage.

He has also been part of the TV shows Pimps Up, Ho's Down (1998), Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz (2007), Nick Cannon Presents Wild 'N' Out (2007), Benched (2014), The Standups (2017), Face Value (2017), Grown-ish (2018-present), All About the Washingtons (as Darnell Bell, 2018), and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (as Dave, 2020).

In October 2020, Cole released a 40-minute video titled 40 Minutes of Deon Cole "Workin' It Out” on the YouTube channel Netflix Is A Joke. It contained a compilation of the behind-the-scenes footage of the practice sessions (held at the Hollywood Improv in 2019) for his 2020 tour that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The video earned over 376 thousand views within 2 weeks of its release.

Deon Cole’s role in Black-ish got him nominated for two NAACP Image Awards. He won one of those NAACP Image awards (in 2020), for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.” He was also nominated for two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards (in 2017 and 2018) for Black-ish, along with the cast (for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series”).

He was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for co-writing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Conan (for “Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series,” in 2010 and 2011). Conan also earned him nominations for three Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards (for “Comedy/Variety, Including Talk – Series,” in 2012, 2013, and 2014).

Not much is known about Deon Cole’s personal life, and it is assumed that he does not wish to divulge much about his relationships or family. Nevertheless, it is known that he has a son named Dylan. Deon, however, is currently assumed to be single.

Deon Cole is known for his signature mustache, which has become his trademark look in the entertainment industry.

In addition to his successful career as a comedian and actor, Deon Cole is also a talented writer, having worked on several popular television shows.

Deon Cole has a unique sense of style and often incorporates bold colors and patterns into his wardrobe choices, setting him apart from other celebrities.

Despite his busy schedule, Deon Cole makes time to give back to his community through various charitable efforts and partnerships with non-profit organizations.

Deon Cole is a skilled improviser and has showcased his quick wit and comedic timing on various comedy specials and television appearances.