Leslie Jones (comedian)
| Leslie Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 7, 1967 Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, television, film |
| Alma mater | Colorado State University |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Genres | Observational humor, blue comedy, black comedy, physical comedy |
| Subject(s) | African-American culture, everyday life, pop culture, current events |
| Notable works and roles | Saturday Night Live cast member, writer |
Leslie Jones (born September 7, 1967) is an American comedian and actress who is a cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live. Jones has been a featured performer at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and the Aspen Comedy Festival. In 2010, her one-hour comedy special, Problem Child, was broadcast on Showtime. Jones starred in Ghostbusters (2016) as Patty Tolan.
Leslie Jones was born on September 7, 1967 in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father was in the United States Army and her family moved frequently. Her family moved to Los Angeles, when her father took a job at Stevie Wonder's radio station, KJLH, as an electronics engineer. Jones attended high school in Lynwood, California, where she also played basketball; in May 2015, she stated on Late Night with Seth Meyers that her father suggested that she play the sport because she is six feet tall.
Jones attended Chapman University on a basketball scholarship and transferred to Colorado State University when her coach left Chapman for Colorado State. She intended to become a lawyer, but changed her mind and changed her major a few times, including to business accounting and computer science and eventually ended up majoring in communications. At Chapman, Jones became a radio DJ. She was unsure of what she wanted to do, and contemplated the possibility of a career playing basketball overseas.
Jones started to do stand-up comedy in college in 1987, when a friend signed her up for a "Funniest Person on Campus" contest. After she won the contest, Jones left school and moved to Los Angeles. She performed at regular clubs and worked at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles and UPS to make ends meet. Mother Love and Dave Chappelle encouraged her to move to New York City to hone her craft for two years, where she appeared on BET's ComicView before returning to Los Angeles. She performed at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, but received unfavorable reviews. She opened up for Jamie Foxx and was booed by the audience. Feeling discouraged, Jones stopped performing for three years.
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