D.L. Hughley on Charlie's Boy and the Conversation He Never Had

Mick Hunt (0:00)

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D.L. Hughley (0:37)

It's a shame that the best conversation I ever had with my father was when he wasn't here anymore because he'd never shut up and let it happen anyway.

Mick Hunt (0:43)

So ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. Today, we're having fun with someone who was on my Mount Rushmore of comedy. You can go back a year and a half ago, see the social posts that I put out there. We're talking to the dynamic, the legendary Mr. Charlie's Boy himself, my guy, Mr. DL Hughley. DL, how you doing?

D.L. Hughley (1:10)

How you doing, Big Daddy? Thank you, man. That's very nice. How are you?

Mick Hunt (1:13)

Man, I am honored to be here with you. I've told you right before we got on, man, I've looked up to you for so long. You are my goat of comedy.

I tell everybody the greatest dead or alive is DL Hughley, bro.

D.L. Hughley (1:28)

Oh, man, I definitely appreciate that. Thank you very much, man.

Mick Hunt (1:32)

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, DL, man, I love starting my show by asking my guests about their because, that thing that's deeper than your why.

D.L. Hughley (1:41)

Right?

Mick Hunt (1:41)

Like, we've done the start with why, what's your why. I like to go a little bit deeper because if I say, well, why is that your why, that sentence usually starts off with, well, because, and to me, that tells me who everybody is. So, if I were to say today in 2026, DL Hughley, what's your because, what's your purpose now?

D.L. Hughley (2:01)

I think because we have, I think because I think we're on the verge of being, running out of faith and hope. And I think that is a very precarious position to be in. And so, I think that it's important, I guess faith is like anything else. It has to be exercised. It has to be used.

It has to, you know, be, it has to function. And I think when, I think it feels like as a community, we're in jeopardy of running out of faith.

Mick Hunt (2:44)

Man, you are so spot on with that. And that's why I love you, man. Like, yep, you're funny. You're going to give it to us every time. But when I connected with DL Hughley, it's because that's who you are, man. Like you are, you care about community. You care about people. Like I could tell stories of backstage with DL Hughley in between sets, right?

Like, you know, you got the seven o'clock set and then you have the nine o'clock set.

I'm in between shows with DL, backstage. We are drinking bourbon. We are watching the Lakers play. But then you were mentoring me on this media game, right? Because my podcast was like a year old then.

D.L. Hughley (3:22)

You were telling me. And now look at you. Look at you now.

Mick Hunt (3:27)

You gave me the advice. You told me exactly what to do.

But here's what's crazy. We talked the entire time you were offset till when they are announcing you for the next show. Like I've never seen that in my life where you literally talk to me until it's like, and coming to the stage, DL, and you just like, all right, baby boy, I'll see you next time. And you just walk up to the stage. Like, where do you get that from where most comedians, most people in general are just taking that moment for themselves? You were like, no, I'm going to mentor you. Like, let's talk through this a little bit.

D.L. Hughley (4:02)

Well, I think it's like I said, it's like a muscle. You got to keep working. I think that this, there is a synergy.

It's like, it's not too much different than the symbiosis between a tree and humans. Like, they both give each other something. And I think the human interaction is like that too. And I think that that interaction helps me be a better performer and be a more informed person, a more empathic path to human. I think the whole time, there's an old expression that a really good friend of mine says, and I think it's true, whatever you're looking for is looking for you. And I think sometimes that's connectivity, sometimes that's a through line, something. So I think you get as good as you get.