Mike Epps
About Mike
Mike was seen in three seasons of the Starz series “Survivor’s Remorse” produced LeBron James and Mike O’Malley. He won a 2016 NAACP Image award for “Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series” for his portrayal as Uncle Julius. On TV he can be seen opposite Queen Latifah in Fox’s “Star” and is currently in pre-production on the first BET Social media Awards which he will produce which will air February 11th.
Mike recently wrapped two indie comedies: “The Trap,” directed by Chris Robinson, executively produced by Jesse Collins and co-starring Tip “T.I.” Harris. Mike will produce the film under his NapTown productions along with Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere. “The Trap” is based on a story that Epps created with Nile Evans, with Evans writing the script. The Trap tells of a man (T.I.) who returns home to Atlanta after an extended absence to help save his brother (Epps) and mother’s run-down restaurant. An unexpected change to the chicken recipe breathes new life into the restaurant but also brings unexpected problems. He also wrapped “The House Next Door” the sequel to the 2016 film “Meet The Blacks” which he stars in and produces.
He was seen in the HBO-Emmy Winning bio-pic “Bessie” based on Bessie Smith, played by Queen Latifah. The film chronicles how Smith overcame her tempestuous personal life to become one of the most acclaimed performing and recording artists of the 1920s and ’30s, earning the nickname Empress of the Blues. Mike plays Richard Morgan, a bootlegger and romantic interest to Bessie Smith. The film also won a Critics Choice Award for “best miniseries/ movie” as well as a Primetime Emmy for “Television Movie or Limited Series.”
He is also currently developing the script “Any Means Necessary” for Sony pictures with Neal Moritz attached to produce. He will star opposite Marlon Wayans about two brothers- one a cop and one a criminal.
In 2011, he was awarded an NAACP Image Award for “Best Supporting Actor” for his role in the Sony Pictures film, “Jumping the Broom.” He continued to receive critical praise for his dramatic turn in 2012 with “Sparkle,” opposite Whitney Houston and Jordan Sparks. In 2016 he further pursued his dramatic side with two important roles: starring opposite Forest Whitaker and Anthony Mackie in the Lionsgate thriller, “Repentance,” being released through Lionsgate/Codeblack Entertainment., followed by the independent Nina Simone biopic, “Nina,” starring Zoe Saldana. In “Nina,” he plays the legendary Richard Pryor, who opened for the singer in the early 60’s.
He has recently entered the tech space with the first interactive game ‘button’ made by Amazon for the Alexa called “Sounds Fun with Mike Epps” The Amazon button features Mike making hilarious sound effects with his voice. The sound effects included in “Sounds Fun” will range from the obvious to the absurd, such as a “lawnmower” or “helicopter” to “Donald Trump getting a haircut.” Every day a new and different sound will be released, making each game a unique experience for the players. Epps will also serve as the game’s judge, providing a comedic mix of friendly encouragement and snarky banter.
He is also currently on a national stand up tour and in 2015 his tour “Mike Epps; Don’t Take it Personal” was seen on Netflix. In 2009, Mike headlined his hugely successful stand-up special, “Mike Epps: Underrated and Never Faded,” and in 2011 introduced the world to new comedic talent with, “Mike Epps Presents…,” both which aired on Showtime. He also released his first comedy rap album called “Funny Bidness: Da Album.” The album featured Snoop Dogg, Kid Rock, and Slim Thug to name a few. That year also marked the release of his comedy DVD “Funny Bidness.” With his undying love for hip-hop, Mike hosted the BET Hip-Hop Awards from 2009-2012.
Since 2000, Epps steadily climbed his way up the stand-up comedy ranks when he was recognized by a national audience in 1995 for appearing on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam (which, years later, he would go on to host). During a performance at LA’s Comedy Store, Epps caught the attention of Ice Cube. This led to the first of three feature films they would do together: the cult hits “Next Friday,” “Friday After Next,” and “All About the Benjamins.”
Other features include the Hangover franchise, “Girls Trip” “Faster,” “Hancock,” “Lottery Ticket,” “Next Day Air,” “Roll Bounce,” “The Fighting Temptations”, the Resident Evil franchise, “Bait”, “How High,” “Dr.Dolittle 2”, “Talk to Me”, and “Guess Who?”
Epps can be seen in over 40 cities and 3 continents live doing standup.