Cedric Antonio Kyles

Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known as Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer and television host. He hosted BET's ComicView during the 1993-1994 season and Def Comedy Jam in 1995. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, and for starring as Eddie Walker in Barbershop. Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, and raised in Caruthersville and Berkeley, he graduated from Berkeley High School and majored in mass communication at Southeast Missouri State University.

Before becoming a full-time comedian, Cedric worked as a State Farm Insurance claims adjuster and a substitute teacher. His stage name arose when someone introduced him as "an entertainer, Cedric the entertainer," and the name stuck. After appearing on It's Showtime at the Apollo in 1992, he hosted ComicView and Def Comedy Jam, then moved into acting, receiving his first role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1995 Apollo Theater revival of The Wiz. He traveled the country as one of the Kings of Comedy headliners with Steve Harvey, D. L. Hughley and Bernie Mac, an act made into the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy (2000).

Cedric has appeared in films including Big Momma's House (2000), Barbershop (2002) and its sequels, and done voice work for the Madagascar film series, Ice Age, Charlotte's Web and Planes. From 2018 to 2026 he starred on the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood, and in 2019 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.