Timmie Rogers (1914–2006) was a popular African-American comedian who appeared on many national TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s.[1][2] Rogers was one of the first Black comedians allowed to directly address a white audience when he worked. Before Rogers, African-American funny men had to either work in pairs or groups, only conversing with each other, and they had to play a character, while popular white comedians, such as Bob Hope and Jack Benny got to play themselves. Rogers worked by himself,[2] always dressed well, often wearing a tuxedo, and never wore blackface.[1]
His humor was clean, topical, and political. Rogers was inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame in 1993,[1] and is often called the Jackie Robinson of comedy, because he opened the door for other performers such as Dick Gregory and Bill Cosby.