| Aries Spears | |
|---|---|
 Spears in 2025 | |
| Birth name | Nairobi Aries Spears |
| Born | (1975-04-03)April 3, 1975 (age 49) Chicago,Illinois, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up,film,television |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Genres | Sketch comedy |
| Children | 3 |
Nairobi Aries Spears (born April 3, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian,impressionist, and actor fromNew Jersey. Spears was a regular onFox'ssketch comedy seriesMad TV (1997–2005), appearing in 198 episodes, making him the second longest-serving cast member on the show behindMichael McDonald.[1] In 2011, he released a special calledAries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling.[2] He co-hosted for theAVN Awards twice in 2018 and 2020.
Spears was born inChicago, Illinois and moved to New York when he was two years old. His mother, Doris Spears, is ajazz singer. Spears moved toNew Jersey at age 11 and attended Arthur M. Judd Elementary School. He became a comedian at 14, performingstand-up comedy in variouscomedy clubs inNew York City. He was expelled for fighting during his sophomore year inNorth Brunswick Township High School inNorth Brunswick Township, at age 17.[3] Spears then started doing his own comedy routine around his hometown.
Spears said that his first stand-up comedy was doing impressions ofJames Brown andJack Nicholson at the Uptown Comedy Club inHarlem.[4]
Spears's first television appearance was onRussell Simmons'sDef Comedy Jam, followed byIt's Showtime at the Apollo. He moved toLos Angeles in 1992, landed a recurring role onA Different World (1993) and became a regular atThe Comedy Store,The Improv andThe Laugh Factory. Other television credits includeCrosstown Traffic,The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993) andSoul Train.
Spears was cast in a starring role oppositeGlenn Frey inSouth of Sunset (1993). Spears's other film appearances includeHome of Angels (1994),The Pest (1997),Jerry Maguire in which he played Teepee, brother of Rod Tidwell (1996),Out-of-Sync (1995), andThe Proud Family (2003).
He joined the cast ofMADtv during its third season in 1997, and he left at the end of its 10th season in 2005. During his tenure, he created characters such as comedian Belma Buttons (co-host of fictionalBET show "Reality Check"), Dollar Bill Montgomery (a host of an urban parody ofPolitically Incorrect called "Real **********ing Talk with Dollar Bill Montgomery"),James Brown Jr. (co-host ofCabana Chat), and controversial rapper Emcee Esher. He is well known for his impressions of celebrities, includingJay-Z,Kanye West,LL Cool J,DMX,Snoop Dogg,Mike Tyson,R Kelly,Denzel Washington,Eddie Murphy andPaul Mooney.
Spears appeared in a second-season episode ofMind of Mencia, which parodiedJamie Foxx's role inKanye West's music video for "Gold Digger." He appeared in the 2006 filmHood of Horror. Spears performed in the TV seriesThe Underground and voiced the characterWizard Kelly in the animated television seriesThe Proud Family.
Spears appeared in two episodes ofFrank Caliendo's sketch comedy showFrank TV asShaquille O'Neal.
He appeared alongsideCedric the Entertainer and other comedians in theAll Star Comedy Jam in 2009.
His 2011 stand-up comedy specialAries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling was shown onShowtime.[citation needed] According toDeadline Hollywood, Spears was expected to appear in the dark comedy feature film directed by Vladislav KozlovThe Immortalist in 2020, along withFranco Nero,Sherilyn Fenn,Paul Rodriguez, and Jeff DuJardin.[5]
On August 30, 2022, Spears andTiffany Haddish were sued for alleged grooming andsexual abuse of two minors. The lawsuit details that the minors were recruited to film comedy skits, and were asked to perform sexually suggestive content. Spears's attorney stated "he isn't going to fall for any shakedown" in reference to Spears.[6][7][8] That September, the accuser filed to have the claims against bothdismissed with prejudice.[9]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Home of Angels | Gang Leader | |
| 1995 | Out-of-Sync | Frank | |
| 1996 | Jerry Maguire | Tee Pee Tidwell | |
| 1997 | The Pest | Chubby | |
| 1998 | Why Do Fools Fall in Love | Redd Foxx | |
| 2001 | Josie and the Pussycats | The Other Carson Daly | |
| Higher Ed | Lil' Bud | ||
| 2003 | Love Chronicles | Playa | |
| The Night B4 Christmas | Elvin (voice) | TV movie | |
| 2004 | Jiminy Glick in Lalawood | Gunnar "MC GUN" Jorge | |
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Wizard Kelly/Board Member (voice) | TV movie |
| 2006 | Hood of Horror | Quon | |
| The Boo Crew | Money/Jay-Z/Africans (voice) | TV movie | |
| 2015 | Promoted | Platinum Artist | |
| 2017 | Kings | Keith | |
| 2019 | Chase | Miles | |
| 2020 | The 420 Movie: Mary & Jane | Patrolman Watkins | |
| 2021 | Immortalist | Doctor Olivier Johnson | |
| 2024 | Holy Cash | Willie Dollars |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.9" |
| 1993 | A Different World | Ty | Episode: "Mind Your Own Business" & "Dancing Machines" |
| South of Sunset | Ziggy Duane | Main Cast | |
| Soul Train | Himself/Guest Host | Episode: "Episode #22.13" & "#23.3" | |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Bobby Swan | Episode: "Stagecoach" |
| 1996 | C Bear and Jamal | Big Chill (voice) | Main Cast |
| 1997 | Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #7.6" |
| 1997–05 | MADtv | Himself/Cast Member | Main Cast: Season 3–10 |
| 2001 | The Test | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "The Roommate Test" |
| 2001–03 | The Proud Family | Wizard Kelly (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 2002 | Late Friday | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.8" |
| The Rerun Show | Louise Jefferson | Episode: "Saved by the Bell: Jessie's Song/The Jeffersons: Florence in Love" | |
| 2003 | Laffapalooza | Himself | Episode: "Laffapalooza Volume 3" |
| 2004 | ComicView | Himself | Episode: "Episode #13.2" |
| 2005 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Wizard Kelly (voice) | Episode: "Spats: Experiment 397" |
| Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Episode: "Aries Spears" | |
| 2006 | The Underground | Himself/Cast Member | Main Cast |
| Mind of Mencia | Himself/Guest Host | Episode: "Episode #2.1" | |
| 2006–14 | Comics Unleashed | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2007 | CSI: Miami | Oscar Monahan | Episode: "Inside Out" & "Chain Reaction" |
| 2009 | Black to the Future | Himself | Episode: "Hour 1: The 70s" |
| Just for Laughs | Himself | Episode: "Gerry Dee" | |
| 2009–19 | Laugh Factory | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2010 | The Boondocks | Lord Rufus Crabmiser (voice) | Episode: "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy" |
| Supreme Court of Comedy | Himself | Episode: "Aries Spears vs. Paul Mooney" | |
| 2012 | ComicView | Himself | Episode: "Kevin Hart/Aries Spears/Omar" |
| Black Dynamite | Mr. T/O. J. Simpson (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 1 | |
| 2013 | Funny as Hell | Himself | Episode: "Episode #3.8" |
| Who Gets the Last Laugh? | Himself | Episode: "Aries Spears/Natasha Leggero/Andy Dick" | |
| 2015 | Turbo FAST | Mr. Tinfoil (voice) | Episode: Tough as Snails/C.O.N.S.P.I.R.A.C.Y. |
| Gotham Comedy Live | Himself/Host | Episode: "Aries Spears" | |
| 2016 | MADtv | Himself | Episode: "Episode #15.3" |
| American Dad! | Shaquille O'Neal (voice) | Episode: Criss-Cross Applesauce: The Ballad of Billy Jesusworth | |
| TripTank | Various Voices (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 2018 | AVN Awards | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| Family Guy | Eddie Murphy/Shaquille O'Neal (voice) | Episode: "Pal Stewie" & "Regarding Carter" | |
| 2020 | AVN Awards | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| Gentefied | Chef Michael | Episode: "Unemployed AF" | |
| 2022 | Phat Tuesdays: The Era Of Hip Hop Comedy | Himself | Main Guest |
| Dark Side of Comedy | Himself | Episode: "Roseanne Barr" & "Artie Lange" | |
| 2022–23 | The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder | Wizard Kelly (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 2023 | See It Loud: The History of Black Television | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Show: Live on Sunset Strip! |
| 2011 | Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling |
| 2016 | Aries Spears: Comedy Blueprint |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | I Ain't Scared! |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Ladies and Gentlemen, Jordan Rock |
| Phunny Business: A Black Comedy |
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