Daphnique Springs is set to shine in an all-new episode of All Def Comedy.
Springs, who hails from Florida and currently lives in Los Angeles, might be a familiar face. She’s appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Comedy Get Down. Now, Springs is set to appear on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam reboot.
Springs spoke with ESSENCE about the comedy special, what she did before becoming a comic and working with Charlie Murphy.
Here’s what you need to know about Daphnique Springs:
Springs was lucky enough to work with the late Charlie Murphy. The comedian worked with Murphy on The Comedy Get Down and calls him a “comedy genius.” She said, “His comedic timing was on point. His acting was on point. Charlie Murphy is somebody I always wanted to work with because I just loved him from Chappelle’s Show and movies like Norbit. And, I got to work with him, it was really cool.”
The comedian got a chemistry degree before making the leap into comedy. Springs says working in a lab became ‘’boring as hell’’ during an internship at a pharmaceutical company and she could no longer see herself doing the work. “I was like, ‘I can’t spend the next 30, 40 years of my life coming to a job that’s repetitive, you’re doing the same thing.’ I would test the pills because we made dietary supplements and stuff like that. And we did a lot of paperwork. It was just like … I was trying so hard not to go to sleep.”
Relax, she does not want your jokes. Springs says it’s common for people to say “I got a joke for you” after finding out she’s a comedian, but, please, keep them to yourself. She adds going on dates can be a bit tricky too because people never take her seriously. “People always think that I’m joking when I’m dead ass serious. I’m like, ‘No I’m serious’ and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re just joking. You’re so funny.’ I didn’t say nothin but ‘hi’ how am I funny?”
She did not hesitate when it came to chasing her dream. The urge to try comedy just kind of came to her, “I finished school and I just came out here [Los Angeles]. My grandmother lived here, so it was a place where I knew I had family and I had a place to stay. I came out here in 2010 and it’s been like that ever since. I didn’t grow up as a child thinking ‘I want to be in the movies, I want to be a star.’ It kinda hit me around 20 and then after that, by 23 I chased my dreams.”
You’ll be seeing more of Springs in 2018. The comedian is set to go on tour and is writing for BET’s Black Card Revoked, based on the popular game. “I’m going on a tour, The New Wave Comedy Tour, next year, which is something that’s very exciting. And, I’m just really hoping that this [All Def Comedy] creates a bigger platform for me. And, currently I’m writing on a new BET show, so that’s pretty cool.”
Catch Daphnique’s All Def Comedy debut Friday, Dec. 15 on HBO at 10p.m. ET.
