On this day in comedy on October 15, 2008, Chocolate News premiered on Comedy Central
Directed by Rusty Cundieff (Chappelle Show) and starring David Alan Grier, Chocolate News was a satirical news program aimed at the black demographic. Originally the station didn’t want the show due to the negative stereotype associated with pairing the term chocolate along with black people. But once non-black actors, Martin Sheen and William Shatner intervened the show was given the okay to start production.
Chocolate News had a prime spot. It was the lead-in for the popular Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. It featured Tangie Ambrose, Alphonso McAuley, Chris Tallman and Jordan Peele in sketches that were always from a black perspective and always consistently edgy and sometimes downright raw. Apparently too raw for mainstream.
Comedy Central aired the last of Chocolate News on December 17th of that same year after 10 episodes and the cable station made it clear on March 10, 2009 that it would not be renewing the program for a second season.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
Check out this clip:
