TV mogul Byron Allen said when he came up with the idea for the Feeding America Comedy Festival, the first person he called was Kevin Hart.
In an interview with TMZ, Allen said he wanted to do a comedy festival to address the problem of food insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“You know what, I was sitting around in my backyard like everyone else, and I said, ‘You know what, I cannot handle watching human beings worry about their next meal,” Allen said. “Food insecurity in this country is completely unacceptable.”
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After coming to that realization, he picked up his phone and began to call various comedians asking them if they would take part.
“I said, ‘Hey, let’s do the Feeding America Comedy Festival,’ and my first call was to Kevin Hart,” he explained. “And then we called Tiffany Haddish, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal , Adam Sandler … and every comedian said, ‘I’m in there, let’s go.’”
Some other actors and comedians taking part via pre-recorded segments are Taraji P. Henson, Mike Epps, Whoopi Goldberg, Kenan Thompson, Marlon Wayans, and more.
Co-produced by the Funny Or Die entertainment brand, the festival benefits the charity Feeding America and will be broadcast on NBC on Sunday, May 10, 2020. It will also be simulcast on Allen Media Group-owned television networks, including Comedy.TV and The Weather Channel, as well as on the free streaming service app Local Now from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (ET) on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
