Prank calls are something of a lost art. Thanks to caller ID and cell phones and text messages, prank calling is no longer the easy source of comedy it once was. But prank calls are still alive on radio thanks to DJs like Rickey Smiley, who’s built his comedy career on outrageous calls made by a variety of ridiculous characters. Characters like the elderly Bernice Jenkins and Buford the redneck first came to life in Smiley’s stand-up act, and when he started as a morning radio personality in Dallas in 2004, he incorporated them into the infamous prank calls that were a cornerstone of his show.
Smiley’s radio show is now syndicated nationally, and he stars on the sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show on TV One, but he still makes time to pursue his first love of stand-up comedy, to the relief of his legion of fans. Smiley is dedicated to clean comedy and often features a live band in his stage show, so his performances are friendly and inclusive. And even if he doesn’t make any prank calls on stage, the old-fashioned mischievous spirit of them remains present in all of his comedy.
