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Author Talk: Black Out Loud w/ Geoff Bennett and Darryl Bell

How Black Comedy Became America's Truth-Telling Tool

What if the most important conversations about race, identity, and American values happened in comedy clubs and on television sets?

The journey of Black comedy in America is a story of laughter, resistance, and cultural power. This is the central thesis of Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms, the new book from Peabody Award-winning journalist and PBS NewsHour co-anchor Geoff Bennett. 

Bridging Journalism and Pop Culture Legacy

Bennett, who has covered the White House through six presidential election cycles, brings an investigative journalist's rigor to cultural history. His book charts a course from vaudeville through the groundbreaking work of Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, and Whoopi Goldberg, culminating in the golden age of 1990s television. Drawing on intimate interviews with Martin Lawrence, Robert Townsend, and Keenan Ivory Wayans, Bennett reveals:

-How Black comedians functioned as cultural theorists, embedding social critiques within commercially viable humor

-The behind-the-scenes politics that shaped iconic shows like Martin, Living Single, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

-The lasting impact these artists had on American attitudes toward race and identity

A Conversation on the Revolutionary History of Black Comedy

This event combines a White House correspondent who chronicles cultural revolution and an actor who lived it. Darryl M. Bell is best known for his role as Ron Johnson on A Different World, a series that built on this comedic legacy. Over six seasons, the show used comedy and an HBCU setting to tackle discrimination, AIDS, and apartheid, setting a new standard for television. Together, they'll unpack how the shows we grew up watching were moments of cultural transformation happening in real time.

The evening includes an author conversation, audience Q&A, and book signing. Learn more about the author and moderator below.

About the Author

Geoff Bennett is the co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour and serves as a contributor to NBC News. A Peabody Award-winning journalist, he has reported on national politics at the highest levels -- covering the White House and six presidential election cycles -- while conducting exclusive interviews with cultural icons, world leaders, and groundbreaking artists. His work bridges politics and culture, offering clear-eyed insight into the forces that shape American life.

He lives in the Washington, DC, area with his wife and their son.

In Conversation With

Darryl M. Bell, accomplished producer and actor with a powerful
business background, possesses a career-long reputation for bringing
innovation and positivity to the forefront of the entertainment
industry. After a chance encounter with prominent producer, Spike Lee,
Bell applied his innate savvy business strategy to negotiate with Lee in
landing an audition – propelling him far into the world of acting and
producing.

Following his breakthrough role in Lee’s 1988 School Daze, Bell then
gained further notoriety as Ron Johnson in the hit show, A Different
World. Over six exceptional seasons, Bell and his fellow stand-out
castmates depicted life as college students at a fictitious Historically
Black College, applying comedy as a means to educate audiences on
society’s controversial current events. From discrimination to AIDS,
apartheid and war, A Different World made an award-winning impact on television that broke boundaries
and pushed the envelope – setting a new standard for television as we know it. With this experience, Bell
discovered a niche for breaking down barriers and telling impactful stories across all audiences – both
behind and in front of the camera lens.

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