D.L. Hughley collapsed on-stage Friday night during a comedy show in Nashville and was hospitalized.
The comedian was in the middle of his set at Zanies Comedy Club when he paused unexpectedly and his head slumped down.
Video posted on Twitter showed Hughley slurring his speech as he sat on stage. A club employee rushed to his side to help, but the comedian’s body continued to give out and he fell to the floor. He was then carried off stage by multiple people and an announcer told the stunned audience to “stay calm.”
DL Hughley passed out during his stand-up show at Zanies Nashville tonight. Prayers up for him! pic.twitter.com/qoE1CzbqHf
— Brooks Golightly (@brooklynluv) June 20, 2020
A spokesperson for Hughley told Urban Hollywood 411 that he was exhausted.
“DL collapsed on stage last night during his second show in Nashville. He was suffering from exhaustion after all the week’s work and travel, and was kept overnight at the hospital for tests under doctor’s orders,” the representative said. “He is awake and feeling better, and wishes to thank everyone for the very kind prayers and thoughts.”
Hughley, 57, rose to stardom as host of BET’s ComicView in the early 1990s. From 1998 to 2002, he starred in the ABC comedy series The Hughleys. He also appeared in Spike Lee’s 2000 film, The Original Kings of Comedy, alongside Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and the late Bernie Mac.
More recently, he starred on The D.L. Hughley Show on TV One. The late-night talk show was canceled in October 2019, after eight months.
In a statement to Urban Hollywood 411, Shamia Holloway, TV One’s director of public relations, said the cancellation was prompted by the actor and comedian’s busy schedule.