Stand-up comedian Aries Spears isn’t afraid to test boundaries. Unlike his boyhood idol Eddie Murphy, he’s not reluctant to continue to satirize Bill Cosby, as he does on his YouTube channel. Whether it’s pro athletes coming out of the closet, the English language skills of newly arrived immigrants working in fast food or domestic abuse, Spears is uninhibited when it comes to controversial stand-up.

Considered fearless by fans and foolish by some critics, Spears is unlikely to cave into any pressure or abide by any self-censorship that could restrict the impact of his comedy.

A stand-up prodigy, Spears appeared on nearly 200 episodes of Fox’s sketch-comedy show MADtv. Audiences got to watch as he honed his impressionist skills, and his repertoire includes everyone from Cosby and Murphy to Denzel Washington. Highlights include Schwarzenegger and Stallone as Pacino and De Niro’s characters in Heat, and LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, DMX and Jay Z collaborating on a two-minute rap track.

He’s most visible on the live comedy circuit these days, and was recognized in 2006 as one of Laughspin.com’s most underrated comics.

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