Aries Spears

Nairobi Aries Spears was born on April 3, 1975, in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to New York at two years old and later to New Jersey at age eleven, attending Arthur M. Judd Elementary School. Spears first explored stand-up comedy in Harlem around the age of fourteen, performing impressions of figures such as James Brown and Jack Nicholson at the “Uptown Comedy Cafe.” His early career gained momentum with an appearance on Russell Simmons’ “Def Comedy Jam” in 1992, at sixteen years old, which he considers his first major comedic break. He also performed on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” during this period.

In 1992, Spears moved to Los Angeles, establishing himself in the comedy scene as a regular at respected venues like The Comedy Store, The Improv, and The Laugh Factory. His television career began with a recurring role on “A Different World” in 1993, followed by appearances in “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.” (1993) and “Soul Train.” Spears also secured a starring role alongside Glenn Frey in “South of Sunset” (1993). His film work includes “Home of Angels” (1994), “Out-of-Sync” (1995), “Jerry Maguire” (1996), where he played Teepee, and “The Pest” (1997).

Spears joined the cast of “MADtv” during its third season in 1997, remaining a main cast member until its tenth season in 2005. During his time on the show, he developed various original characters like Belma Buttons and Reggie (Erascist) and became known for his impressions of celebrities such as Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, and Eddie Murphy. After “MADtv,” he continued his career with a comedy special “Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I’m Smiling” (2011) and co-hosted the AVN Awards in 2018 and 2020. He also contributed voice work to animated series like “The Proud Family,” as the character Wizard Kelly.