#DADLIFE: Positively Viral

By Tony Centonze

A local comedian made a big splash recently when a short video of him talking with his son went viral. DJ Pryor who's about to turn 31, is already a seasoned professional, recently celebrating the 16th anniversary of his first on-stage comedy performance, but, he might have met his match with son Kingston, who at only 18 months old is quite the scenestealer.

“I got started when I was just 15,” Pryor said. “I knew I had a gift, and I wanted to see where it would take me. I was raised in a violent neighborhood, there were a lot of gangs and drugs, but I wasn't in to that stuff. I knew I was better at being funny.”

As a teenager, Pryor would make the 7-mile walk to a local comedy club, hoping for a chance to share his talent.

“One night, the bouncer said, 'I can't let you in here.'” Pryor said.” “I said, 'if I can make you laugh will you let me in.' I did, and he did, of course the owner was upset. I don't remember the joke I told, it was probably something about Michael Jackson, MJ was a big part of my performance back then.”

The bouncer talked the owner into letting young Pryor have a shot. “I was supposed to have two minutes,” Pryor said. “But, the performer didn't show up that night. So the owner was in the background signaling me to keep it going. I bet I was on that stage for about 45 minutes.”

That was his first big moment, and it felt right. “I thought, okay, this might be something,” Pryor said. “I'm a storyteller. I pull from my real-life experiences. Most of the comics I look up to do the same. Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy are the tops of my list, but I love comics like Jerry Seinfeld as well. I actually just met a writer who has worked with him for 30 years.

“He was telling me who he was, and I was like 'I'm very familiar your work'. He heard my stand-up and loved it. He said, 'you're a young comic, you're funny, you have perspective. Keep pulling from inside yourself.' Getting that advice, I thought that was amazing.”

Pryor's career in comedy is not just some unreachable dream. He has been on a path to success for sometime, but it hasn't been easy.

“I've always been working in the comedy scene,” Pryor said. I recently did a CBS Showcase. They hired 21 actors to come in and perform sketches. We did a week long show. Scouts and casting directors, all the Hollywood elite came in to see us, and they picked people for different shows that they are writing, producing and directing. That was a big break for me. With that, I felt my career was really beginning to take shape. And then this video hit, and it just took off.”

Pryor says he has several things on the table right now, but wants to be careful moving forward.

“I am careful,” he said. “I want to like what I'm doing, and I'm picky. I want to be true to myself. I want to come out of any project with the right image. I'm very much a family man.

“I'm also a big force of energy that wants to give light and positivity, even in my darkest times. I'm heavy in my faith, God has gotten me through every dark day. Even in this moment of victory, I'm very connected to God. I'm just a guy who likes to laugh, I don't take myself too seriously. My house is light. That video gave the world a glimpse into my life. We have serious moments, like everyone, but we find a way to laugh about things.”

As far as him putting God and family first, Pryor credits his upbringing. His biological father is deceased. He speaks fondly of his mom Desiree, and Rodney Pryor, “the man who raised [him].” Pryor is married to Shanieke and they are raising two boys, Kingston and Jabari.

“I have had great momentum,” Pryor said, “much of which seems to come from the struggle. It's like a slingshot, you have to pull back before you go forward. There were times I thought, how am I back to this point again, but each step forward surpasses the last one. It's been 16 years of back and forth, steady then low, but always moving forward. I'm comfortable with the low periods, they no longer phase me. I tend to thrive off my failures. The struggle makes you appreciate the success more.

Every time my back is against the wall, it just makes me want to try harder.”

While performing in the CBS Showcase, Pryor was approached by Tichina Arnold, one of the stars of the sitcom The Neighborhood. She was impressed by his performance.

“I spend about half my time in Los Angeles now,” Pryor said. “Tichina Arnold came up to me at the CBS Showcase, and gave me a hug. She said, 'you're a star'. She loved my sketch, and told Cedric The Entertainer to come see me. After that performance, he gave me some love, which is great. Cedric is one of the Kings of Comedy, and definitely someone that I look up to.”

On June 4, 2019, Pryor's world began to change, dramatically. His wife posted a video of an intense discussion Pryor was having with his 18-month-old son Kingston, and quickly, tens of millions of people on social media found it to be both heartwarming and humorous.

“So, we were watching the grand finale of Empire, and I was perplexed,” Pryor said. “I was debating how I felt about it. My wife and I were having this conversation. I looked down at my son, and he was looking at me like, 'I get it'. I said, 'do you feel me now', and he went, (Pryor makes baby gibberish sounds), and I said, 'really?'

Kingston climbed up on the couch, and Pryor said to his wife, “baby, get the phone”.

“It just went from there,” Pryor said. “This is something that happens all the time. Kingston and I always talk like that, but this time it was different because of the pauses. We were talking. He would let me finish, wait for a beat, then chime in, like 'yeah, I agree'. I was like, he is so animated. This is great.

“Kingston was only 18 months old when we shot this. This time there was a new joy, like 'daddy's getting me, oh yeah'. The look on his face was like OMG. He was right there in it. What made me laugh, in the video he is making hand gestures, and it took every muscle in my face not to break, cause that was so hilarious. Our whole family talks with our hands, so he was bound to do this. It's what he sees all the time.”

The video is about one minute long. Pryor says it was actually shot on May 2nd, then posted on June 4th. It went viral almost immediately.

“I was working on some music, and suddenly everybody was congratulating me,” Pryor said. “After the third message like that, I went online to see what they were talking about. When I looked, the video was already at 500,000 views. I did a video some time ago that did 1.5 million, and I thought well if it goes past that I'll be impressed.

“Social media went crazy. Ten hours after posting, it had hit 25 million views. I was like, man this is crazy. I think it's over 100 million now.”

The next day, Pryor's phone was ringing. He said it was cool but overwhelming.

“We were like oh my God,” Pryor said. “You don't even know how these people get your number. I was getting calls from all over the world. People called wanting to license the video. I called my agent and manager and said, 'what do we do, we're in the hot seat'?

“By the time my team woke up in Los Angeles, and figured out what was going on, this had already caught fire. They said DJ Pryor needs to keep ownership of the video. We didn't have it watermarked, so it got away from us, in fact someone posted it to Twitter, and that quickly surpassed the views on Facebook.”

Pryor then went on a whirlwind media tour. He and Kingston were asked to do a Denny's commercial for Father's Day, and then flew to New York to appear on NBC's Today Show.

“Yep, I did the Today Show,” Pryor said. “My favorite might have been getting the call from Chris Cuomo, and then hearing the news that Will Smith shared the video. I respect Will Smith so much, he does it all. This is one of my idols growing up. When he shared it, I got emotional. I was happy. Not only did he share it, but he gave me credit, and that was deep for me. I went from 1,300 followers to 140,000. Much thanks to Will Smith.

“Chris Cuomo said to me after the interview, 'whatever you've got going on, keep me in the loop. I want to be on your side'. That's great. These are guys who are up here (hand raised) to me. It's been humbling and overwhelming. They see a young guy being a dad in a positive way, and they want to help me. That's just amazing to me.”

Pryor and Kingston did the Denny's Father's Day commercial. He has been pitching a sitcom based on his life. He just spent a week meeting with production companies. While there, they were pitching him on ideas for shows, and asking him to audition. Now he waits.

“The Denny's commercial was big for Kingston and me,” Pryor said. “I think we'll further explore that path at some point. For now, we're just working, and trying to figure it out. I want Kingston to be a normal kid. When he gets a little older he can decide if he wants to do this. I think he's starting to pick up on what's going on. He's looking like, 'I'm royalty now. I'm the most famous baby in all the world', and he is.

“I want us to remember the day that our family made the entire world laugh. Jabari is 8 years old, and he is an actor, he already has an audition to play a lead in a film. A director saw his work and wanted to meet him. He can already cry on cue. So, my competition is my children. But, that's a dad's dream. They have these natural abilities. God gave us all a gift.

“The timing on this video is a great boost for my career opportunities. People have seen the video, and now tables I couldn't get invited to before are like, we have to bring DJ Pryor in and look at him. We'll just have to wait and see what's next.”