Who is JB Smoove?
Who is JB Smoove?
Jerry Angelo Brooks (born December 16, 1965), better known by the stage name J.B. Smoove, is an American actor, comedian and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on Def Comedy Jam, he was a writer and performer on NBC's Saturday Night Live (2003-06). He is best known for his starring roles in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2007-present) and the CBS sitcom The Millers (2013-2015). He also portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in the BET improv comedy reality television series parody of Hollywood's Real Husbands (2013-16).
Smoove was born in Plymouth, North Carolina to Elizabeth and Floyd Brooks. From the age of three, he grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He spent a lot of time with his mother and extended family in the Plymouth area, which he says inspired him greatly in his search for comedy and humour. In Mount Vernon, he grew up in the Levister Towers estate with his two younger brothers. Smoove's father died of diabetes when Smoove was 15 years old.
In 1983, Smoove graduated from Mount Vernon High School. He attended Norfolk State University in Virginia, where he studied engineering and graphic design.
Smoove works as a perfumer and sells fire extinguishers from home.
Smoove in 2012
Smoove had recurring roles on Everyone Hates Chris and Saturday Night Live. On SNL, he worked as a writer (and had some minor parts in sketches, including playing Jimmy "JJ" Walker in a 1970s parody sitcom) and received the 2007 Writers Guild of America award for best comedy/variety series (including conversation). He was on Saturday Night Live for three years.
Smoove has been a regular on the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm since its sixth season in 2007, playing Leon Black. Smoove took on the role of Leon in Curb Your Enthusiasm after his stint on SNL. Although he lived on the East Coast at the time, he was in Los Angeles for the funeral of his friend, music producer Oji Pierce, and was therefore able to audition for Curb Your Enthusiasm. . Smoove wrote a book with the character name Leon Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was released on October 10, 2017. . In June 2008, he taped several episodes of The Gong Show with Dave Attell as one of the celebrity judges. Smoove was also a cast member of the short comedy sketch show Cedric the Entertainer Presents. He hosted the stand-up comedy series Russell Simmons Presents: Stand-Up at The El Rey on Comedy Central in July 2010 and also appeared in an episode of The Simpsons titled Angry Dad: The Movie in February 2011. Also in 2011, he starred in American Dad! episode "The Worst Stan" and appeared in an episode of Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil called "Dude, Where's My Wade".
In 2012, his first TV comedy special, JB Smoove: That's How I Dooz, premiered on Comedy Central. The special DVD was released on April 3, 2012. In 2013, Smoove voiced Hackus in The Smurfs 2. Smoove appeared in the "The Proposition" segment alongside Anna Faris and Chris Pratt. He was a backup co-host of the morning talk show Good Day New York with Rosanna Scotto on April 9, 2012. He made a guest appearance as a gravedigger in the episode. film titled "Barney/Never." He also had a supporting role in Season 4, Episode 7 "The Vapora Sport" in the American sitcom on FX. He plays the guy in the wheelchair, with whom the main characters often have funny situations. He played one of the "Substitutes" for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. He was on the show Real Husbands of Hollywood, where he played a fictional version of himself.
Smoove hosts an MSG network talk show called Four Courses with JB Smoove. He voices Dr. Ray De Angelo Harris, the Chakra Attack radio host in the Grand Theft Auto V video game. Smoove appeared in the 2013 film Dealin' with Idiots as Coach Ted. In 2013, he became a regular cast member of the CBS comedy series The Millers, playing the character Ray.
In the summer of 2014, Smoove hosted the eighth season of the NBC reality series Last Comic Standing.
In July 2016, Smoove appeared on comedian Jerry Seinfeld's web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
In 2017, Smoove played Santa Claus in Sia's music video, "Santa's Coming for Us." In 2019, Smoove attended the final dinner service of the eighteenth season of Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen: Rookies vs. Veterans as a guest at Chef's Table in the Blue Kitchen run by runner-up Mia Castro. He appeared as a guest judge on the first season of the FOX reality singing competition The Masked Singer. He also voices Frank in Harley Quinn from 2019, as well as Julius Dell in the Marvel Studios films Spider-Man: Far From Home and the 2021 sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home.
In 2020, Smoove stars in The Mapleworth Murders alongside Paula Pell and John Lutz for Quibi. Smoove won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series or Miniseries for his performance.
In April 2021, Smoove, along with co-host Miles Grose, premiered Can I Build? Daily Wisdom by JB Smoove, a podcast on the Team Coco podcast network. Starting in fall 2021, Smoove has a recurring role as the real Caesar in several commercials for the Caesars Sportsbook mobile app, appearing alongside Patton Oswalt, Halle Berry, Vince Vaughn, and the Manning family.
Smoove serves on the Board of Directors of Mount Vernon's Boys & Girls Club. On November 7, 2017, he hosted the Future Leaders of the Boys and Girls Club Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
In 2007, Smoove married singer Shahidah Omar. They live together in Los Angeles. He has a grown daughter from a previous relationship. He shortened his name, Jerry Brooks, to 'J. B.' and added "Smoove" as his last name when he started acting in stand-up comedy. He is a fan of the New York Knicks, New York Yankees and New York Jets.
In 2019, Smoove played for the "Home" team in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangle Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. This list includes celebrities of Carolina origin.
He has been vegan since 2018.