The Amazon Original three-part docuseries, Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy, will have stand-up comics remember the urban comedy explosion of Phat Tuesdays, an all-Black comedy night that took place at The Comedy Store.
In the words of Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Harvey, Regina King and more, Phat Tuesdays tell the unbelievable story of how one man, Guy Torry, moved mountains to launch the comedy night which lasted for 10 years (1995-2005).
What started as an experiment in 90’s Los Angeles, turned into a breeding ground for today’s greatest comedians, elevating Black voices to have their turn on the stage which helped changed the trajectory of their careers.
Phat Tuesdays is a candid, timely, unapologetic, and hilarious docuseries that shows you the heart and soul of today’s most influential Black entertainers. It introduces audiences to a different era and walks them down memory lane with today’s biggest comedians and personalities.
Torry’s ‘Phat Comedy Tuedsays’ had icons and legends such as Richard Pryor, Tupac, Prince, Eddie Murphy, and more filling the room on a Tuesday night to see the sold-out weekly show.
Comedians who performed at Phat Tuesdays included: Tiffany Haddish, Chris Tucker, Kevin Hart, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Fox, Nick Cannon, Anthony Anderson, Lil Rel Howery, Chris Rock, Craig Robinson, Dave Chappelle, J.B. Smoove, Kym Whitley, Jay Pharoah, Tichina Arnold, Luenell, DeRay Davis, and more.
Hollywood executives had been going down to The Comedy Act Theater to discover black comedians but the 1992 LA Riots changed all that and they stopped going. The shutdown of opportunities bothered Torry, so he started Phat Tuesdays at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and brought Black talent to the entertainment industry leaders (or brought the hood to Hollywood).
Phat Tuesdays’ founder and host, Torry, serves as an executive producer, alongside Academy Award-nominated producer Reginald Hudlin and Byron Phillips.
Jeff Hasler, Brian Lovett, and Jeff Bumgarner for Original Productions, and Kelsey Grammer and Tom Russo for Grammnet Productions, also serve as executive producers.