Joey Diaz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joey Diaz
Diaz in 2015
Born	José Antonio Díaz (1963-02-19) February 19, 1963 (age 62) Havana, Cuba
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Stand-up comedian actor podcaster
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Terrie Clark ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2

José Antonio Díaz (born February 19, 1963), also known as Joey "CoCo" Diaz, is a Cuban-American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, and author. He started doing stand-up comedy full-time in 1991. He performed in Colorado and Seattle. In 1995, Diaz moved to Los Angeles. There, he began acting in movies and TV shows. Some of his roles were in My Name Is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, The Longest Yard, Spider-Man 2, Grudge Match, and The Many Saints of Newark.

In 2010, Diaz became well-known for appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. From 2012 to 2020, he hosted his own podcast, The Church of What's Happening Now. He hosted it with Lee Syatt. Later, he started hosting Uncle Joey's Joint.

Early Life and School

José Antonio Diaz was born in Havana, Cuba. He moved to the United States when he was very young. He grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey. He said he was the only Cuban-American there at the time. His mother ran a bar and a business. He was raised Catholic and liked stories about Francis of Assisi and St. Michael.

Diaz went to McKinley School. Then he attended North Bergen High School. He won awards for performing arts there. He finished high school in 1982.

Growing Up and Influences

Diaz's father passed away when Joey was three years old. His mother passed away when he was 16. He found her at their home. Several families in North Bergen took him in during his teenage years. He credits about twenty people who helped him.

Diaz says his friends' sense of humor helped him become a comedian. He also learned a lot from the comedy albums of Richard Pryor. In 1982, Diaz moved to Colorado. He later returned to New Jersey for a while. In June 1985, Diaz moved back to Colorado for good. He studied economics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He didn't enjoy it and quit. He then worked selling roofing.

Comedy Career

Starting Stand-Up Comedy

After watching the 1988 movie Punchline, Diaz saw an ad. It was in a Denver newspaper for a stand-up comedy course. The course cost $37. Before his first stand-up show, he worked as a doorman at a club called Wit's End.

Diaz did his first comedy routine on June 18, 1991. It was at the Comedy Works in Denver. Matt Woods was the main performer that night. Diaz worked on his act and then entered a comedy contest. He won the Beck's Amateur Comedy Competition. He lost another contest at first. But the winner was caught stealing jokes from Jerry Seinfeld. So, Diaz was declared the winner.

Diaz also joined a similar contest in Seattle, Washington. He placed sixth out of 40 comedians. In 1994, Diaz returned to the Comedy Works. He joined a program for new comedians. This program included group writing sessions. Comedians would then perform their new material that same evening.

Moving to Los Angeles

In 1995, Diaz left Colorado for Los Angeles, California. He wanted to become a successful stand-up comedian. He used his personal life changes as a reason to work hard. He wanted to make his daughter proud.

On November 4, 2007, Diaz performed in North Bergen. He helped raise money for new uniforms for North Bergen High School's basketball team.

In April 2012, Diaz released his stand-up special. It was called It's Either You or the Priest. It became number one on the Billboard comedy charts in the UK and Canada. It also reached number one on iTunes. In December 2016, Diaz released his first one-hour comedy special. It was named Sociably Unacceptable. It was available on Seeso and Comedy Dynamics.

Acting in Films and TV

Early Roles

In 1998, Diaz got a chance to star in a TV show. He was going to play a bartender in a show called Bronx County. A talent scout from CBS saw him perform comedy in Seattle. Diaz was surprised by the offer. The show was not picked up. However, this opportunity led to more acting jobs for Diaz.

His first movie role was as a referee in BASEketball (1998). He also had a part in the TV series NYPD Blue. In 2000, Diaz was in an independent film called You Got Nothin' (2003). Parts of Analyze That (2002), which starred Diaz, were filmed in New Jersey. He was happy to film close to home.

Bigger Roles and Recognition

Diaz became more well-known with roles in Law & Order. He also appeared in major films like Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Taxi (2004). After that, Diaz played a character in The Longest Yard (2005). He got the role after having lunch with Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. Rock helped him get an audition.

Diaz made an audition tape. He wore a football jersey that was too small. He ran around a field with a cigar. Three days later, he got the part. The producers liked the name "Big Tony Tedesco," which Diaz used on his tape. They wrote it into the script. His part was originally only three lines. But Diaz's tape helped make his role bigger.

In 2005, Diaz said he wanted to keep acting in different types of roles. He said it was "like a dream come true." Around this time, Diaz prepared his one-man comedy show. It was called Larceny & Laughter. It told stories about his childhood in North Bergen.

In 2007, Diaz appeared in four episodes of My Name is Earl. He played Joey the Candy Bar Criminal. The show's producers saw him in The Longest Yard and wanted to hire him. That year, he hosted funny promotions for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He played Joey Karate and gave comical predictions for fights.

Diaz was proud of his role in the 2009 TV movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas. It allowed children in North Bergen to see him act. In 2011, Diaz was in an episode of The Mentalist and the film Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.

Around 2011, Diaz raised money from fans to make a documentary. It was about his childhood in North Bergen. It showed how different people helped him after his parents passed away. Diaz added his own money to finish it. His podcast co-host, Lee Syatt, directed the film. Diaz made the movie to honor those who helped him.

In 2013, Diaz appeared in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He played Robert De Niro's coach in the movie Grudge Match. The movie came out on December 25. Diaz took his fifth-grade teacher to the movie premiere. In 2014, Diaz was in an episode of Maron. In 2017, Diaz started working on a show about one of his cats for Animal Planet.

Podcasts

In 2009, Diaz met comedian Felicia Michaels. She asked him to co-host a new comedy podcast. Beauty and Da Beast started in August 2010. The podcast ended in November 2012 after 113 episodes.

On September 2, 2012, Diaz started his own podcast. It was called The Church of What's Happening Now. He co-hosted it with Lee Syatt. Diaz named it after a phrase his old manager used to say. Episodes were available as audio and video on YouTube. They gained over half a million subscribers.

On October 5, 2020, Diaz launched a new podcast. It is called Uncle Joey's Joint. He started it after moving back to New Jersey. Lee Syatt has been a guest on the new podcast.

Personal Life

Diaz has been married twice. In 1991, he divorced his first wife. He later married Terrie Clark on November 25, 2009. They have one daughter together.

Selected Filmography

Films

Television

Comedy specials

Documentaries

Video games

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Joey Diaz para niños