Michael Blackson, known as ‘the African King of Comedy,’ is an American-Ghanaian-Liberian comedian and actor, who is perhaps most famous for performing in All-Star Comedy Jam by Shaq and BET ComicView, and is also popular for his roles in the films “One Night in Vegan” and “Coming 2 America.”
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Born Jefari Ferguson in Nsaba, Ghana, under the Sagittarius zodiac sign on 28 November 1972, which makes him 49 years old as of 2022, he has a Liberian mother who worked as a secondary school tutor, and a Ghanaian father, who was a theater actor, and was brought up partly in Ghana and Monrovia. The family migrated to the USA in the mid-’80s, and went on to live in Newark, New Jersey, but relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when he turned 13.
Blackson grew up very interested in comedy and began practicing when he was a child and his father often encouraged him to go for acting training to hone his skills. He began going for auditions and playing minor roles in 1992 shortly after he settled in Philadelphia. Sadly, Michael’s father died in 2008.
Michael began pursuing a career in comedy when his Domino’s co-worker suggested he try out open mic. He has revealed that his biggest inspiration is the acclaimed American comedian and actor, Eddie Murphy. He has not disclosed any details regarding his educational background publicly. Blackson became a US citizen in 2021.
Career
Michael began his stand-up comedy career touring various bars and clubs across Philadelphia. He subsequently began participating in several comedy competitions including “The 1993 Schlitz Malt Liquor Comedy Tour” held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, then in “1996 Urban Comedy Festivals” and later in “Laffapolooza Comedy Festival” which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. He later traveled to Oakland to participate in “Bay Area Black Comedy Competition” and later relocated to New York in search of greener pastures.
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Michael’s acting talent was discovered by the multi-talented filmmaker, actor and singer Ice Cube, in Los Angeles, who invited him to audition for a role in one of his projects. He ended up bagging the role of angry African customer in the 2000 film “Next Friday”, appearing alongside John Witherspoon, Mike Epps, Don ‘DC’ Curry, and Ice Cube. His role increased his popularity in Hollywood, and he was later selected to appear in 2005’s comedy “Modasucka: Welcome to Africa” before he appeared in Tina Fey’s comedy show “30 Rock” in the same year, which starred Scott Adsit, Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer and Alec Baldwin.
In 2005, he appeared in HBO’s show “Bad Boys of Comedy” by P Diddy, and 2007 saw Michael appearing alongside Master P in his film “Repos”, and then in the music video “I’ll Be in the Sky” by B.o.B. in 2011. He was a guest in the talk show “The Mo’Nique Show”, and was later seen in the TBS show “Are We There Yet?”, based on a self-titled Ice Cube movie that had been released in 2005. His next role was in “Shaquille O’Neal’s All Stra Comedy Jam.”
In 2016, Blackson was seen in the comedy horror film “Meet the Blacks,” which starred Gary Owen, Mike Epps, and George Lopez; he played Mr. Wooky in the film, which was a parody of the 2013 horror movie “The Purge.” In 2018, BET announced Blackson as the host of the BET Social Awards ceremony that was held in February that year.
Personal Life
Michael is dating the Cambodian model, Instagram sensation and real estate agent Miss Rada. It is not clear how or when the duo first met, but it’s believed that they met on Instagram. According to a post on Valentine’s Day 2019, the duo has been dating for more than two years now. Rada broke the news of their relationship on her Instagram, when she captioned their photo, ‘Every entanglement begins with a #kysse.’
Michael proposed to Miss Rada on 22 July 2021, during a radio interview on “The Breakfast Club”. They subsequently appeared together in the first season of the reality TV show “Couples Retreat”. The duo is seemingly living a happy and lavish lifestyle, and is apparently looking to exchange wedding vows soon. Blackson previously revealed during an interview that he’s planning to raise his children in West Africa as opposed to the US, and that he made that decision following the recent tragic shooting that left 21 people – two teachers and 19 students – dead in a Texan elementary school. He is a father of three sons, twins Noah and Niko and Michael Jr. from his previous affairs. He rarely shares their photos on social media, and hasn’t revealed the name of their mother(s).
Michael is rumored to have been in a relationship with the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Georgia Reign; he allegedly cheated on her, which resulted in their separation, but he dismissed the allegation. The comedian also dated the Kenyan musician Victoria Kimani, but their affair was short-lived.
Controversies
Michael became the subject of controversy after he admitted during a podcast interview that his fiancé lets him ‘cheat’ several times per month. He said, ‘Before we were a couple, she knew I was sleeping with six other women in a month, but when we started being a couple, she told me we compromise, so I can have one woman once a month.’
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Blackson is of Afro-American descent, and has black hair and dark brown eyes. He is 6ft 1in (1.84m) tall, and weighs approximately 143lbs (65kgs). He’s fond of wearing African-inspired attire, especially when he’s performing stand-up comedy.
Net Worth
Michael has made a name for himself in the showbiz industry and has worked with some of the most famous personalities in Hollywood, including Ice Cube. His net worth is approximately $3 million as of 2022, and his annual income is estimated to be around $400,000. He owns several luxury homes in Delaware and Ghana, but prefers to live a modest lifestyle. Michael is also fond of wearing flashy chains, and has a 24-carat gold chain valued at approximately $60,000, and has many luxury vehicles including a Rolls Royce Wraith valued at nearly $320,000, and a BMW F06 at $90,000, and several other sports cars.
