Texas native Don “DC” Curry was a member of the breakout collective of Black comedians who dominated the 1990s on the HBO series, “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam.” A partial list of other now-iconic comedians who made their mark on the stage was Martin Lawrence, Dave Chapelle, Chris Tucker, Bill Bellamy, Mike Epps, and the quartet that would become the Kings of Comedy: Bernie Mac, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey.
Curry says, while there is a fraternity between the comics that required each to have a tough skin for jokes that might land from anywhere, there was a time when one of the Kings stopped speaking to him.
During an interview on Pierre Edwards’ “Panic Room,” Curry said the quarter-billionaire and the founder of Steve Harvey Global cut him off for about three years after a wisecrack about his hair.
Edwards, who transitioned from his stand-up role to being a podcast host, asked the veteran funnyman about his relationship with Harvey and a rumor about the two “not rocking like that.”
Curry casually answered, saying, “We cool.” Edwards pressed and said he had not seen the two perform together lately, and Curry played along for a while.
“I don’t have no problems with Steve. Over the years, we’ve had a couple of little run-ins,” the comedian admitted. “I’m proud of the brother.”
Curry explained that over the years the two had been compared to each other because they were similar in age and also had the same kind of cadence, but he does not believe any of the issues they had stemmed from that.
But there was this one time …
“Steve has always been very sensitive,” Curry states, before telling a story of a time when the two were on the outs. It was Curry’s fault.
“About 20 years ago, we were in Memphis. … We were in the dressing room, and the dressing room had a low ceiling, and it had a ceiling fan,” the comedian explained.
“Steve was standing under the ceiling fan. And I said, in my young stupidity, ‘OK, Steve, you better get from under that ceiling fan for your toupee get caught up in that thing,’” he recalled.
According to Curry, the man instrumental in getting so many comedians to diversify their work portfolio and getting them on the radio did not speak to him for approximately three years because of that incident.
He also said he’s been told that Harvey said some things about him, but he didn’t care because if it was “funny,” it was funny.
One joke was about how he souped up his Rolls-Royce back in the day and Harvey called him “a ghetto negro.”
Fans thought the story was hilarious and commented on the spat.
“I knew it. He would always get tight if you asked him about his lineup,” a commenter wrote. “That thing looked like a microphone top.”
“N-gga went from a flat top to a MJ in one day! I always wondered why!”
“Men be so sensitive about going bald.”
One person said there had to be more to the story, writing: “Have you or anyone you know ever stopped dealing with someone over something silly? It is never 1 thing, it’s many things and this minor thing was just the last thing, the one you remember, if both these men were in a room, I could bet money they would talk about more than just a toupee story.”
Many believe it was because their styles were too similar and Curry “stole his whole style.”
There were a few who marveled at Harvey not being able to take a jab in fun.
Carl Corleone blasted Harvey, saying, “A comedian who can’t take a joke, but rips individuals on a daily basis, thanks for confirming why I don’t like that cat.”
“You would think a male comedian in a wig would see the humor in that,” Samuel Gerard wrote.
Despite his occasional tiffs with Harvey, Curry has done well for himself in comedy. Over the past 30 years he has become known for his recurring role as Ice Cube’s uncle Craig Elroy in “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next,” a staple on BET’s “Comic View,” and more recently in appearances on Adult Swim’s “Black Jesus.”
Currently, he is on tour doing stand-up, most recently performing in Cleveland and Buffalo, New York.
