Joey Diaz
| Joey Diaz | |
|---|---|
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| Birth name | Jose Antonio Diaz |
| Born |
February 19, 1963 Havana, Cuba |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Children | 2 |
Jose Antonio "Joey" "CoCo" Diaz (born February 19, 1963) is a Cuban-American stand-up comedian, actor and podcast host. Born in Cuba and raised in New Jersey, Diaz began his stand-up career in the 1991 who had roles in the television series My Name is Earl and the films The Longest Yard and Taxi.
Diaz was born in Havana, Cuba as a single child. In the 1970s, his family had relocated to the US and settled in North Bergen, New Jersey, where he attended McKinley School followed by North Bergen High School, which he graduated from in 1982 and won awards for performing arts in school. His mother ran a bar and a successful numbers game operation. He was raised Catholic as a youngster and enjoyed learning stories about Francis of Assisi and St. Michael.
Diaz suffered loss in his family early on; he lost his father when he was three, and found his mother dead on the floor in his home at fifteen. He was taken in by four families around North Bergen during his teenage years, and credits around twenty people who helped him, but his reckless nature and tendency to get into trouble caused him to move from one home to another. During this time, Diaz began taking drugs and committing crimes. Diaz explains that their sense of humor greatly influenced his comedy career, and used lines from his teacher at McKinley School in his act. Diaz was also influenced by albums by Richard Pryor. Diaz wished to become a bookmaker initially, but changed his mind when it was not an honest way of making a living.
At nineteen, Diaz left New Jersey for Colorado, "I was making money ... I was taking classes at night, I had a ski pass, I had a nice apartment". However, his growing homesickness led to his return to New Jersey initially for his birthday in 1984, but he stayed there for eighteen months. He later called this time as "the worst 18 months of my life" and a mistake, as his cocaine abuse worsened.
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