The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby
Ryan Gatenby chats with actors, authors, athletes, comedians, musicians, and experts in their field in each episode featuring selected interviews from the popular "The Big Wakeup Call" radio program.
The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby
Aries Spears
A fun chat with comedian and actor ARIES SPEARS, who is performing at The Improv in Schaumburg this weekend with 7 and 9:30 shows on Friday, 3:30, 7, and 9:30 on Saturday, and 6:00 on Sunday.
ARIES SPEARS
Biography
Ever since New York native Aries Spears was 14 years old, he has been a force to be reckoned with in the comedy scene throughout America. His quick wit, charisma and ferociously aggressive style of comedy have earned him critical acclaim, high accolades, and above all, a busy schedule. From being a regular on Fox’s Mad TV, starring in feature films, appearing on a number of national talk shows, and continually touring the country where he continually sells out each and every city, Aries’ talents are widespread as he just passed the 3 million spins played on Pandora and his podcast is one of the "Musts" in the US.
This past summer, Aries guest starred in CNN’s “See It Loud” new summer series on the history of Black Television which was one of their hit docuseries of 2023, alongside Amanda Seales, Da’Vinchi, Debbie Allen, Deon Cole, Desus & Mero, Gabrielle Union, Jimmie Walker, Judge Greg Mathis, Kevin Frazier, Loni Love, Lynn Whitfield, Mo’Nique, Naturi Naughton, Omari Hardwick, Ray J, Ruben Studdard, Sherri Shepherd, Tatyana Ali, Tiffany Pollard, Tisha Campbell, Vivica A. Fox and many more. Trailer: https://tinyurl.com/AriesCNNSeeItLoud
As a principal cast member on Fox’s hit sketch comedy show Mad TV, Aries brought a fresh, hip style to the already-edgy program from the third through the tenth season. The producers made full use of many of Aries’s talents by calling on him frequently to create new hilarious characters and write sketches where he thrived for eight seasons.
Some of the many recurring characters that Aries is famous for on the show include: Belma Buttons, Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson, Mike Tyson, Walter (Crackheads), Reggie (Erascist), Dollar Bill Montgomery, Shaquille O'Neal, The Klumps, Michael Jackson, Sisqo, Evander Holyfield, El Diablo Negro and more. Aries also boasts a number of uproarious impersonations on the show that include James Brown, Al Pacino, and his childhood idol Eddie Murphy. The Aries-branded sketch “Talkin’ American” was Mad TV’s most popular bit, keeping fans tuned in and boosting Mad’s ratings impressively on Saturday night.
Aries has also found great success in the world of feature films. At the age of 17, after being spotted in a comedy club, Aries landed a part in the movie Home of Angels which eventually led to a starring role alongside John Leguizamo in TriStar’s The Pest followed by the notable role as Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s brother in Columbia’s blockbuster hit, Jerry Maguire.
Aries maintains a strong connection to his African roots and is involved in many charitable events, including a number of organizations that help abused women. He feels blessed to have been able to achieve everything that he has, but he in no way intends on stopping there. Given the extreme growing success rate of action comedies coming out of Hollywood, it’s safe to say that Aries Spears will be in demand for quite some time.