Patrice O'Neal

Patrice Malcolm O'Neal From 2006 to 2008, he presented The Black Phillip Show on XM Satellite Radio. His only one-hour stand-up comedy special, Elephant in the Room, was released nine months before his death at the age of 41 from a stroke caused by type 2 diabetes. A posthumous follow-up, Mr. P (2012), was released as audio only.

Early life Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal He was named by his mother after Patrice Lumumba, leader of the Congolese independence movement and the Republic of the Congo's first prime minister, and the African-American human rights activist Malcolm X. In his adolescence, O'Neal has said that he was convicted of statutory rape of a girl who was one year younger than him, and he spent a summer in prison.

O'Neal attended West Roxbury High School, during which he took up football and ended his playing career with three varsity letter awards and winning a state championship in his senior year. His interest in comedy had grown by this time, and he took up work as a bouncer at the Comedy Connection in Boston.

Career Stand-up comedy

O'Neal performed his first stand-up in October 1992 at Estelle's in Boston. He had attended an open-mic night at the venue the week prior to his debut where he heckled a performer, who in turn challenged him to try stand-up himself. He then moved to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding greater fame: "I tap danced like you wouldn't believe ... trying to get something." O'Neal ignored demands from club owners to change his confrontational act and struggled to earn enough money. He was "essentially thrown out of America" and accepted offers to perform in the UK, first by English stand-up John Simmit for a part on his Upfront Comedy circuit. O'Neal worked hard to gain the respect of his peers, recalling that it took several months "for them to go 'okay, this guy's not playing around'". By mid-1999, he had headlined a comedy tour of Australia. Between 2000 and 2002, he performed stand-up across Europe, including spots at the Black International Comedy Awards in London and in Edinburgh with comedians Lewis Schaffer and Rich Vos.

In 2006 and 2007, O'Neal joined Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour, playing large arenas across the US.

In 2010, O'Neal recorded his first and only hour special for Comedy Central, Elephant in the Room. It originated after comedian Dave Attell had praised O'Neal's material to his manager, who entered discussions with the network about producing one. Despite O'Neal being adamant on filming in Washington, D.C., the network wanted it recorded in New York City and O'Neal eventually agreed. The special premiered on February 19, 2011, with an uncut version released on CD and DVD three days later. O'Neal promoted the special with an interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, his first network television appearance in four years. Later in his career, he also walked away from potential opportunities such as acting roles on Web Junk 20, The Office, and Arrested Development, though he would eventually guest star on the latter two. He jokingly described himself as a "professional bridge-burner".

By 2002, O'Neal had returned to the U.S. after he received an offer to record a half-hour comedy special on Showtime. He landed his first of a series of television appearances, beginning with the sketch program The Colin Quinn Show, followed by Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn which he appeared from 2002 until its cancellation in 2004. In 2003, he recorded a special for Comedy Central Presents. His first television appearance was on The Apollo Comedy Hour. From there, he moved on to appearances on Showtime at the Apollo and FNight Videos. He appeared in guest-starring roles on MTV's Apartment 2F, Assy McGee, Yes Dear, Arrested Development, Chappelle's Show, and The Office. After two seasons, O'Neal declined to host the third despite an offer that quadrupled his salary. He was replaced by Jim Breuer. O'Neal made five appearances at the annual Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, including a one-man, one-week show at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine in 2008. It featured his girlfriend Von Decarlo Brown, Dante Nero, Bryan Kennedy, Harris Stanton, and Wil Sylvince. The series did not last long as it was unable to attain a sponsor due to its offensive content.

In 2011, O'Neal performed as one of the comedians for The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen as he expressed his respect for the actor and wished to tell him in person. The show was cancelled before filming could begin.

O'Neal's views on women have been the subject of discussion and sometimes described as misogynistic. In an August 2010 appearance on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, he stated that he was a "terrible misogynist" when he met his then-girlfriend.

Other projects O'Neal also appeared as a guest on other shows such as The Alex Jones Show and segments on Fox News. He voiced Jeffron James in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV on its in-game radio station Fizz!

On October 27, 2011, O'Neal's final interview was released with Jay Mohr for his podcast, Mohr Stories. He stated that his appearance at Sheen's roast did little to transform his career apart from helping sell out a weekend of stand-up shows at Caroline's. He revealed a further meeting with FX regarding a possible animated series and a project that involved his friends coming to his home to record interviews. Sales of the release were donated to his mother, girlfriend, and stepdaughter. The album reached number one on the Billboard Comedy Albums chart and number 35 on the Billboard 200. On November 6, 2012, a 20-minute selection of previously unreleased material was released on O'Neal's website and through iTunes titled Better Than You.

On February 19, 2021, Comedy Central released Patrice O'Neal: Killing is Easy, a documentary on O'Neal's life and career. It was directed by Michael Bonfiglio who also served as executive producer along with Bill Burr, Al Madrigal, Michael Bertolina, and Vondecarlo Brown.

Comic style O'Neal cited George Carlin and Richard Pryor as his favorite comedians. His comedy has been described as conversational. His routines were characterized by an off-the-cuff approach and frequently adult themes. He was direct when presenting his views, particularly on race and gender roles. He was also a provocateur who often incited audience members to heckle or even leave the club. Gregg "Opie" Hughes stated that he had seen O'Neal "give people money to leave".

Personal life O'Neal was engaged to actress Von Decarlo Brown at the time of his death.

Death On the morning of October 19, 2011, O'Neal phoned his fiancée Von Decarlo Brown to tell her he could not move his legs. He was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center and later Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey, where doctors performed surgery to remove a blood clot in his head.

O'Neal died at 7:00 am on November 29, 2011, of complications from his stroke, which was caused by the type 2 diabetes he had since his early 20s. At the time, he had been trying to address his health issues by experimenting with veganism, replacing sugary food with sugar-free substitutes, and abandoning other sweets and soda. That evening, Comedy Central broadcast his special Elephant in the Room. Rolling Stone ran a four-page article about O'Neal's career and death in its February 2012 issue.

Discography Elephant in the Room (2011) Mr. P (2012) Better Than You (2012) Patrice O'Neal: Unreleased (2013)

Filmography

Television

Film Year(s) Title Role Notes 2002 Paper Soldiers Big T 25th Hour Khari 2003 Head of State Warren In the Cut Hector 2006 Scary Movie 4 Rasheed Uncredited 2010 Furry Vengeance Gus 2011 Elephant in the Room Himself 2012 Nature Calls Mr. Caldwell Posthumous release

Video games Year(s) Title Role Notes 2008 Grand Theft Auto IV Jeffron James Fizz! from the radio station WKTT