It wasn't easy for Cedric the Entertainer to be Cedric the Quarantined.
The veteran comedian and actor has thrived on a busy schedule, whether traveling around the country performing stand-up, filming TV and film projects or executive-producing and starring in his CBS comedy, "The Neighborhood," which has returned for its third season.
But like the rest of Hollywood, Cedric has cut back on show business because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And although he was glad to take a break from work, he stayed active in other ways, engaging with the Black Lives Matter movement, participating in seminars with various leaders and contributing to organizations participating in the nationwide civil rights campaign that gained momentum throughout spring and summer.
Cedric also was able to do some performing, hosting CBS' new clip series "The Greatest #AtHome Videos" from his house and playing an arrogant sitcom star in "The Opening Act," a comedy streaming on Amazon Prime.
"It was great when it first started just to settle down and to be able to enjoy life for a minute," he said of the stay-at-home directives. "The blessings of being busy and having a great career is good, but it was really good being with the family and being home, taking some time to reboot. However, when we got into the summer, the anxiety of needing to be very busy was very much there."
So when it became safe enough to return to work on "The Neighborhood," he jumped at the chance.
Not all just for laughs
He plays opinionated auto repair shop owner Calvin Butler, who is less than pleased when a white family moves into the predominantly Black neighborhood where he resides.
"When we got the call that we could come back, it was very exciting," he said.
While the emphasis is still on humor, the season's opening episode took on a serious tone when Trey (Malik S.), a friend of the Butler family, was arrested and beaten by police.
"Since it's a sitcom about life and it's Americana, we felt like it was our responsibility to do something," Cedric said. "We wanted to show that America has a history of threatening Black people and treating minorities as being lesser-than. People are fed up with it, and it's time to make sure that fight is heard. We wanted to use our platform to express that."
This year marks the 20th anniversary of "The Original Kings of Comedy," a stand-up comedy film featuring routines from Cedric, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac.
"We were blessed enough to follow major giants like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy," Cedric said. "We were in our heyday. 'The Steve Harvey Show' was happening, we were all touring big individually, so to do something that felt so rock 'n' roll was so unique and one of my favorite times in comedy for sure. And the movie was so successful. I feel so blessed to be part of a comedy show that had something to say."
There are rumors of a reunion. He's all for it.
"Let's rock one more time and do it for Bernie," who died in 2008, he said. "I'd love it to be one of the first things that could happen after COVID."
