News - David A. Arnold, Standup Comedian and Creator of Nickelodeon’s ‘That Girl Lay Lay, Dies at 54
David A. Arnold, Standup Comedian and Creator of Nickelodeon’s ‘That Girl Lay Lay, Dies at 54
The beloved stand-up comedian David A. Arnold, who created and oversaw the production of the Nickelodeon program That Girl Lay Lay, has passed away. He was 54.
The family of David A. Arnold released a statement saying, "It is with great regret that we confirm the untimely departure of our husband, father, brother, and friend, David A. Arnold." "David died peacefully today in his home, and the cause of death was determined by the doctors to be natural causes. Since we are all surprised and grieving over this loss, kindly keep our family in your prayers and respect our privacy at this time.
One of the best comedians who has ever lived, Chris Spencer, a personal friend of Arnold's, remarked, "Our tightly knit comedy community mourns the loss of one of the finest to do it." "He was beloved by the budding comedians he coached, respected by other veterans, and looked up to by his colleagues. His comedy community in particular will miss him much.
Arnold, a veteran of stand-up, worked in comedy clubs for more than 20 years prior to his late-career breakout, building a devoted online following for his amusing perspectives on parenthood and family life. In two comedy specials for Netflix, 2020's Fat Ballerina and It Ain't for the Weak, which debuted on July 19, Arnold played the lead.
Arnold, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 15, 1968, attended Beachwood High School. He started his stand-up career at age 18 after watching Eddie Murphy's Delirious special, with his debut performance taking place at Cleveland's Hilarities 4th Street Theatre.
Arnold gradually advanced up the comedy food chain, beginning the 1990s as a club comic and progressing to a touring act before landing a job as a television writer in the 2000s. His early writing credits include The Rickey Smiley Show on TV One, Meet the Browns, and House of Payne on TBS, all produced by Tyler Perry. He contributed as a writer and producer to the 2018 season of Fuller House on Netflix.
Following the well-trodden road of comedians creating sitcoms based on their shows, Arnold sought to capitalize on his modest degree of success as a comedy writer. He had an agreement with BET to make a program about his life with Kevin Hart as a producer, but the network rejected the idea. Arnold stated last week on Jalen Rose's Renaissance Man show that "BET told me I wasn't black enough and I was not marketable." "I was informed that they said. I won't soon forget this. I was working on a show with Kevin Hart at the time.
However, he immediately developed a sizable fan base on social media for the "rant" videos he made about parenting his girls and married life. "I grabbed my phone and began sharing videos, little humorous rants, and stand-up I performed 15 years ago that no one watched. One minute at a time, I started uploading it to the phone, and I then started sharing videos of my wife and my kids. The moment I began to complain about what it's like to raise adolescent girls with a woman who is always in your goddamn ear, this crap took off. And across all of these channels, I went from having no followers to having over a million," Arnold told Rose.
His 2019 television special, Fat Ballerina, was purchased by Netflix and broadcast in 2020 after gaining millions of new social media fans. His hallmark themes of marriage and family were heavily emphasized throughout the show. Following that, he released It Ain't for the Weak in 2022, which featured more amusing family tales and the challenges of parenthood while also delving more into Arnold's arduous climb to the top of the business. In Cleveland, the hometown of Arnold, the two programs were recorded.
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