W. Kamau Bell
W. Kamau Bell | |
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![]() W. Kamau Bell in 2010. | |
Birth name | Walter Kamau Bell |
Born | United States |
Medium | Stand-up comedy |
Nationality | American |
Notable works and roles | Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell |
Website | WKamauBell.com |
Walter Kamau Bell (better known as W. Kamau Bell) is an American stand-up comic.[1] Prominent within the San Francisco stand-up comedy scene, he is best known as the former host of the FXX television series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.[1]
Career
Bell graduated from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and attended the University of Pennsylvania before dropping out to pursue a career in comedy.[2] After establishing himself as sociopolitical comedian and community activist based in San Francisco, Bell became a founding member of the comedy collective "Laughter Against the Machine" and has been featured in a number of prominent podcasts and publications, such as WTF with Marc Maron, Citizen Radio, and Current TV's The War Room with Jennifer Granholm, on which Bell is a regular correspondent.
In 2010, Bell's stand up album Face Full of Flour was named one of the Top 10 Best Comedy Albums of the year by iTunes and Punchline Magazine.
In 2012, Bell was voted San Francisco's best comedian by the SF Weekly, the SF Bay Guardian, and 7×7 Magazine.
In October 2013, Bell was named the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador on racial justice.[3]
That year, Bell also began to host a weekly television series on FX, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The show, which provided comedic commentary on social and political issues in addition to celebrity interviews, ran for two seasons on FX and FXX, where it became a daily show before being cancelled.
Bell currently co-hosts the podcast The Field Negro Guide to Arts & Culture with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, writes the blog "Kamau's Komedy Korner" for the San Francisco Weekly, and sits on the board of The Applied Research Center.
Discography
- 2007: One Night Only
- 2010: Face Full of Flour
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huston, Warner Todd (10 Mar 2015). "CNN Adds Reza Aslan, W. Kamau Bell to Cable Line Up". Breitbart.com.
- ↑ Avni, Sheerly (August 6, 2012). "Local Comedian W. Kamau Bell Lands His Own FX Show". San Francisco.
- ↑ "ACLU Ambassadors - W. Kamau Bell". aclu.olrg (American Civil Liberties Union). Retrieved 2015-01-05.