Today in Our History - Paul Gladney (August 4, 1941 – May 19, 2021), better known by the stage name Paul Mooney was born.

GM – LIF – Today’s American Champion was?was an American comedian,?writer,?social critic , and actor, best known as a writer for comedian?Richard Pryor ?and for his collaborations with?Redd Foxx ,?Eddie Murphy , and?Dave Chappelle .?He is known for his acting role playing singer?Sam Cooke ?in?The Buddy Holly Story ?(1978), Junebug in?Spike Lee 's satirical film?Bamboozled ?(2000) and as?Negrodamus ?on?Chappelle's Show . He is also known for his writing for?Sanford and Son ,?In Living Color , and?Chappelle's Show .

Today in Our History - Paul Gladney?(August 4, 1941 – May 19, 2021), better known by the stage name?Paul Mooney was born.

Mooney was born in 1941 in?Shreveport, Louisiana , and moved to?Oakland, California , seven years later.?His parents were George Gladney and LaVoya Ealy.?Mooney was raised primarily by his grandmother Aimay Ealy, known among the family as "Mama".?Gladney coined the nickname "Mooney" after the original?Scarface ?(1932) actor?Paul Muni .

Mooney became a?ringmaster ?with the Gatti-Charles Circus. During his stint as?ringmaster , he always found himself writing comedy and telling jokes, which later helped Mooney land his first professional work as a writer for Richard Pryor.

Mooney wrote some of Pryor's routines for his appearance on?Saturday Night Live , co-wrote his material for the?Live on the Sunset Strip ,?Bicentennial Nigger , and?Is It Something I Said?albums, and Pryor's film?Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling . As the head writer for?The Richard Pryor Show , he gave many young comics, such as?Robin Williams ,?Sandra Bernhard ,?Marsha Warfield ,?John Witherspoon , and?Tim Reid , their first break into show business.

Mooney also wrote for?Redd Foxx 's?Sanford and Son ?and?Good Times , acted in several cult classics including the?Richard Pryor ?comedy films?Which Way Is Up? ,?Bustin' Loose , and the cult satirical comedy?Hollywood Shuffle , and portrayed singer/songwriter?Sam Cooke ?in?The Buddy Holly Story .

He was the head writer for the first year of?Fox 's?In Living Color , inspiring the character?Homey D. Clown , played by?Damon Wayans . Mooney later went on to play Wayans' father in the?Spike Lee ?film?Bamboozled ?as the comedian Junebug.

Mooney initially appeared in the sketches "Ask a Black Dude" and "Mooney at the Movies" on?Comedy Central 's?Chappelle's Show. He later appeared as?Negrodamus , an African American version of?Nostradamus . As Negrodamus, Mooney?ad-libbed ?the "answers to life's most unsolvable mysteries" such as "Why do white people love?Wayne Brady ?" (Answer: "Because Wayne Brady makes?Bryant Gumbel ?look like?Malcolm X .") Mooney was planning to reprise his role as Negrodamus in the third season of the?Chappelle's Show, before Dave Chappelle left the show due to stress.

In 2006, Mooney hosted the?BET ?tribute to?Black History Month ?titled?25 Most @#%! Moments in Black History. In this show, he narrated some of the most shameful incidents involving African Americans since 1980. The top 25 moments included incidents involving?Marion Barry ,?Terrell Owens ,?Wilson Goode ,?Michael Jackson ,?Flavor Flav ,?Whitney Houston , and?Tupac Shakur .

In 2007, Mooney released his first book, the memoir?Black Is the New White.

In November 2014, Paul's brother announced that Mooney had prostate cancer.?Mooney continued to tour, and perform his stand-up comedy act.

Much of Mooney's material was based on the subject of?racism in the United States .

In September 2005, Mooney performed a segment at the 2005 BET Comedy Awards called the "Nigga ?Wake Up Call Award", in which he jokingly presents an award to?African American ?celebrities who neglected their blackness to try and blend in with Caucasians, only to find out they're still a "nigga" in their eyes. The "nominees" included?Michael Jackson ,?Oprah Winfrey ,?Lil' Kim , and?Diana Ross .

Mooney awarded Ross and made numerous jokes about Ross's 2002 arrest for?DUI .?According to people who were in attendance, Mooney also made light of the death of Ross's ex-husband?Arne N?ss Jr. , who fell while?mountain climbing ?in 2004.?Tracee Ellis Ross , Ross's daughter and N?ss's stepdaughter, was also in attendance. She reportedly was so offended and embarrassed that she left the room.?Backstage in the press room, Mooney was asked if he felt his performance was "over the top". Mooney replied:

How can somebody get arrested for (being under the influence ) and go to jail and I will be over the top? I think that's over the top, don't you? Agree or disagree, folks. No, comedy is not over the top. When you are a celebrity and you do crazy stuff, that's the game.

When Mooney was informed that Tracee Ellis Ross was in the audience, he stated:

I didn't know ... her mama could've been in there, that's not the point. I didn't drive drunk. Now I'm responsible for Diana Ross? If you scrutinize?Jay Leno ?and?David Letterman ?the same way you scrutinize me, then I'll agree with you, but if you don't touch them white folks don't touch me. They say whatever they want to say every night.

The majority of Mooney's performance was edited out of the televised broadcast and not aired.

On November 26, 2006, Mooney appeared on?CNN ?and talked about how he would stop using the word "nigga " due to?Michael Richards 's outbursts on stage at the?Laugh Factory .?He referred to Richards as having become "his?Dr. Phil " and "cured" him of the use of the epithet. Mooney also said, "We're gonna stop using the n-word. I'm gonna stop using it. I'm not gonna use it again and I'm not gonna use the b-word. And we're gonna put an end to the n-word. Just say no to the n-word. We want all human beings throughout the world to stop using the n-word."

On November 30, Mooney elaborated upon these remarks from his appearance on CNN as a guest of?Farai Chideya ?on the?National Public Radio ?program?News & Notes.?He declared that he would convene a conference on this controversial subject in the near future, as well as perform his first "n-free" comedy in the upcoming days.

That show, which he performed at the?Lincoln Theater ?following a set by?Dick Gregory , took place on December 2, 2006. Mooney almost made it through his entire set—about an hour of jokes—before he mistakenly used the word in a routine on?O.J. Simpson . He ran off stage covering his face in his hands, and walked back on a few moments later saying, "I'm really going to get it now. This is probably already on the Internet."

On the BET special?25 Events that Mis-Shaped Black America, Mooney reiterated that he was no longer using the word. He was quoted as saying, "I am no longer going to use the n-word. Instead of saying 'What's up my nigga,' say 'What's up my Michael Richards.'" At a summit with?Jesse Jackson , Reverend?Al Sharpton ?and Richards, Mooney forgave Richards.

In an August 2019 interview with Comedy Hype, Richard Pryor's ex-bodyguard, Rashon Khan, alleged that Mooney had molested Pryor's son, Richard Pryor Jr., when Pryor Jr. was a child. Khan also alleged that Pryor had expressed a desire to have Mooney killed in a?murder-for-hire ?plot over this incident and was only prevented from doing so by his 1980 fire accident.?Richard Pryor Jr. has confirmed he was a known drug addict and was raped, but did not mention Mooney by name as his rapist.

On May 19, 2021, Mooney died of a?heart attack ?at his home in?Oakland, California , at the age of 79. Research more about this great American Champion and share it with your babies. Make it a champion day!