EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed comedian, actor, author, TV personality and award-winning radio host Rickey Smiley for representation in all areas.
Touring as a stand-up for more than 30 years, Smiley got his start on Def Comedy Jam and as a host of BET’s Comic View and continues to light up stages across the nation, hitting comedy clubs and theaters on his standalone tour, as well as all-star lineups like the Martin Lawrence-headlined “Lit AF” Tour and Lawrence’s upcoming “Y’all Know What It Is” Tour.
Previously putting out the comedy specials Comedy Central Presents: Rickey Smiley and Rickey Smiley: Open Casket Sharp, his next hour, directed by David Talbert and shot in Smiley’s hometown of Birmingham, AL, is due to launch later this year or early next.
A two-time Marconi award winner, Smiley is also known as the host of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, the #1 syndicated urban radio program in the country, which reaches over seven million weekly listeners in 75+ markets. Additionally, he’s behind the live show Rickey Smiley Karaoke Night, which is put on monthly and regularly sells out.
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Released in 2017, Smiley’s first memoir, Stand by Your Truth: And Then Run for Your Life!, is an ode to fatherhood and the principles that he was raised on which helped guide him in his life and career. His second, the just-published Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith, sees him recount his journey from the painful experience of losing his eldest son to drug addiction in 2023.
Smiley has made notable appearances in films such as Friday After Next and Baggage Claim and starred on the series The Rickey Smiley Show and Rickey Smiley for Real. Boasting over 18+ million followers across social media platforms, he continues to be repped by Levity Live.
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