Hannibal Buress: 5 Things to Know About the Comedian
The comedian is starring in his new show, and that's not all.
— -- Are you familiar with the name "Hannibal Buress" yet?
If not, you will be.
The stand-up comedian, whose Comedy Central show "Why? With Hannibal Buress" premiered last night, became more of a household name last year when a joke he made about Bill Cosby at a show in Philadelphia generated new interest in Cosby's controversial past.
It's a topic that Buress has no interest in discussing.
"I’m just burned out on it; it was October," he told Vulture. "That’s it."
Of course, there's plenty more to know about the 32-year-old performer. Here are five reasons to pay more attention to him.
1. He's on TV all the time: Not only does Buress have his own show on Comedy Central, but he also plays Lincoln Rice on the network's series, "Broad City." He also co-hosts "The Eric Andre Show," and has appeared recently on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," "Conan,""The Jim Gaffigan Show," and yes, "The Roast of Justin Bieber."
2. He's a Chicago native: Buress grew up in Chicago, and recently accomplished his dream of performing as a headliner at the Chicago Theater. He's also longtime Chicago White Sox fan who grew up rooting for the Bulls and Michael Jordan.
3. He's not afraid to stand out: Buress told the New York Times that he's been going through "a floral-shirt phase" ever since he stayed at South by Southwest longer than he anticipated and needed to buy new clothes. "I was looking for a basic button-up and I walk into this nice clothing store, but the only short-sleeve shirts they had were loud shirts," he explained. "I tried one on and it looked weird, and this older, real cool salesman, he’s looking at me in the mirror and he’s like, 'Hmm… .' He unbuttoned one more button, and I was like, 'Yeah, I’m sold.'"
4. No, he's not a stoner: Buress told the Times that people ask him a lot of if he's high and he's not. The misconception is "infuriating," he said. "I don’t like when people are wrong! About me, especially," he said. "Strangers after the show will be like, 'Yo, you want to go smoke?' No," he said. "I don't like when people are wrong! About me, especially."
5. He's been nominated for big-time awards: In 2010, Buress, then a writer for "Saturday Night Live," earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series. In 2011 and 2012, he earned Writers Guild of America nominations for Outstanding Achievement in a Comedy Series for his work on "30 Rock."