When I ask people how they became successful, the responses are similar. It’s the usual: “It takes a lot of consistency, sleepless nights, and missing out on temporary fun.”
While those words can be valid, legendary comedian Bernie Mac once said, “Don’t be afraid to fail,” during an interview with The Buffalo News in 2001. After reading the article, those words stuck with me.
The Bernie Mac Show was a way for the comedian to utilize his voice
When a famous comedian and his wife take in his sister’s three children, life as he knew it gets turned upside down. It was a learning experience for the children, Vanessa (Camille Winbush), Jordan (Jeremy Suarez), and Breanna (played by Dee Dee Davis, whom Bernie called “Babygirl” because she was the youngest). But most importantly, Bernie and his wife, Wanda (Kellita Smith), learned a lot too.
The comedian no longer had privacy in his own home, and the only place that felt isolated was his den, where he spoke directly to “America” as he allowed viewers into his life. For me, the show was pure entertainment; however, for Bernie Mac, it was a way to share his perspective on what was happening in the real world. Things that he turned into fictional episode plots.
“I wanted to do something different and [utilize my voice.] I wanted to share my point of view, and I think we’ve done that,” he said. “That’s the whole key [to] anything: Don’t be afraid to fail. And Bernie Mac is not afraid to fail.”
Success wasn’t an overnight thing for the Mac Man
It takes decades of hard work and authenticity to become a king in comedy. Bernie Mac earned that title before he starred in his 2001 sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show, loosely based on his stand-up acts.
Just a year prior, in 2000, he was one of four comedians who were the primary focus of the concert feature film The Original Kings of Comedy. He, Cedric The Entertainer, Steve Harvey, and D.L. Hughley each took the stage to perform one-of-a-kind acts in front of a live audience. The film also showed the men preparing for their big night backstage, as well as their promotional tour and other events.
Mac’s show and film didn’t happen instantly. The multitalented icon, born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, grew up on the South Side of Chicago and attended Chicago Vocational High School, graduating in 1975. In his twenties and early thirties, Mac was a janitor, coach, professional mover, cook, bus driver, and even a Wonder Bread deliveryman.
It wasn’t until he won a Miller Lite Comedy Search competition at 32 that his popularity grew, marking the beginning of his journey to becoming a comedy legend.
Image credit: SCREENSHOT The Bernie Mac Show, episode “Maid Man”
