Def Comedy Jam is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons, Stan Lathan, and Bob Sumner. The series was hosted by Martin Lawrence and Joe Torry in its first six seasons and by D. L. Hughley for its seventh and eighth seasons. Simmons and long-time collaborator Lathan were inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and The Comedy Act Theatre in Los Angeles, California. They teamed up with Def Jam Records label executive and veteran comedy scout Sumner to launch the show. The series had its original run from 1992 to 1997, and in 2006, it returned in the HBO fall lineup. The show helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians. On September 10 2017, a Netflix special, Def Comedy Jam 25, was filmed at the Beverly Hilton. It was shown on September 26, 2017 and featured many of the comedy stars listed below.

Notable performers

Spin-offs

The show produced a spinoff called Loco Slam.

Home media

The show was released on DVD boxsets in the US and the UK.