DJ Pryor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids DJ Pryor
Birth name	Deztin J. Pryor
Born	Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.
Medium	Actor/Stand-up comedian
Years active	2012–present
Spouse	Shanieke Pryor (m. 2015)
Children	3

Deztin J. Pryor, known professionally as D.J. Pryor, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He became famous for his funny stand-up acts and a viral video with his son. Pryor has appeared in commercials and on television shows, making many people laugh.

Early Life and Comedy Start

Deztin Pryor grew up in Petersburg, Virginia. Later, his family moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, because his father was in the military. He is the oldest of 12 children, which means he has a lot of brothers and sisters!

As a kid, his grandmother let him watch funny shows by Bill Cosby. He also secretly watched another famous comedian, Richard Pryor. These shows helped him discover his love for comedy. He started doing stand-up comedy professionally when he was just 15 years old.

DJ Pryor's Career Journey

DJ Pryor performs his comedy in many different places. You can find him in comedy clubs, at churches, and even at colleges. He has performed at the Virginia House of Comedy. Early in his career, he even opened shows for other performers like Corey Clark.

Pryor has also taken acting classes to improve his skills. He learned improvisation, which is making up jokes and scenes on the spot. You might have seen him in commercials for big brands like Allstate and Jack Daniel's.

In 2014, he hosted his own radio show called The DJ Pryor Show. There are plans to turn this radio show into a watchable series. In 2019, DJ Pryor was chosen for the CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase. This was a big deal because only 21 actors and comedians were picked out of over 3,000 people who auditioned! He has also acted in several short films.

Becoming a "Dadfluencer"

In June 2019, DJ Pryor and his young son, Kingston, starred in a Denny's commercial for Father's Day. This commercial was very popular. The magazine Wired even called Pryor a "dadfluencer." This means he is a dad who influences others, often through social media.

At the end of 2019, DJ Pryor was a special guest on TV shows like Dateline NBC's: A Toast to 2019! and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2020. He helped celebrate the best moments of that year.

More recently, in 2021, DJ Pryor appeared in commercials for the Tennessee Titans football team. He has also been a guest on "Titans Blitz," a show about the team. His own part of the show, called "All Titan'd Up," features during weeks when the Titans play home games.

His Comedy Style

DJ Pryor says that famous comedians like Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Chris Tucker, and Flip Wilson influenced his comedy style. This means he learned from watching them. Pryor's stand-up routines are special because he bases them on his own real-life experiences. He shares funny stories about things that have actually happened to him.

DJ Pryor's Family Life

DJ Pryor lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with his family. He married his wife, Shanieke Pryor, in 2015. They have three children: two sons named Jabari and Kingston, and a daughter named Zaria. Jabari was born in 2011. Kingston was born in 2017, and Zaria was born in 2020. DJ Pryor is also a Christian.

In 2019, a home video of DJ Pryor talking with his then 19-month-old son, Kingston, became very popular online. People loved watching their sweet conversation. Experts from Harvard University even said that how Pryor talked with his son showed a special way of communicating called "serve-and-return." This type of interaction is very important for how children grow and learn.

Television Appearances

• Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2020
• A Toast to 2019!

Filmography

• Country Strong
• The Konichiwa Kid
• Message Read