FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Monday, July 23, 2018

LIT AF TOUR

STARRING YOUR HOST MARTIN LAWRENCE

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, 19 MORE DATES ADDED

Saturday, December 15 – PNC Arena

MARTIN AND HIS FIRE LINEUP OF COMEDIANS – DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael

Blackson, Jay Pharoah, Deon Cole, Bruce Bruce, Adele Givens, Clayton Thomas and Benji Brown –

EXTEND THE LIT AF TOUR THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR

*lineup varies by city

RALEIGH, NC) – Back by popular demand, comedian, actor, director and producer Martin Lawrence has added 19 more dates to the “LIT AF” Tour. Lawrence stars as the high-powered host of 2018’s hottest comedy event, presenting a fire lineup of comedians including DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Jay Pharoah, Deon Cole, Bruce Bruce, Adele Givens, Clayton Thomas and Benji Brown. Coming off the 20th anniversary of Def Comedy Jam, where he is known for his legendary hosting, Lawrence has made a triumphant return to the stand-up stage wowing audiences with his signature style of hilarious stories, social commentary and more. The 18 date Spring leg of the LIT AF Tour played to sold out crowds in major cities across the country including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas.

“Being on the road with this group of funny AF comedians is a blast,” says Lawrence. “No two shows are the same and we all bring something different to the party.”

The Fall/Winter leg of the “LIT AF” Tour kicks off on September 21 in Pittsburgh and hits 19 cities across the continent including engagements at Amway Center in Orlando, Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and a New Year’s Eve performance at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.

Tickets for the Saturday, Dec. 15 tour stop at PNC Arena will go on sale Friday, July 27 at 10 a.m. local time at the PNC Arena Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-745-3000. The full tour itinerary is below. For ticket information and lineup by city, please visit martinlawrence.aegpresents.com.

Martin Lawrence started in stand-up comedy at the legendary The Improv, where he honed his talents until he was asked by Russell Simmons to host his groundbreaking comedy series “Def Comedy Jam” on HBO. From there, Lawrence became a household name after his hugely popular self-titled TV show, “Martin,” was an instant hit with TV viewers. He starred for five years as not only the title character, but other support characters like the sassy Sheneneh and Mama Payne, who became comedy classics. Lawrence would later go on to star in comedy blockbusters like “Bad Boys” 1&2 “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” which he also directed and “Big Momma’s House,” 1, 2 & 3 where he once again proved his talent for creating and acting as multiple characters in one storyline.

LIT AF TOUR DATES

Pittsburgh                             PPG Paints Arena                                        Friday, September 21, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Philadelphia                          The Liacouras Center                                 Saturday, September 22, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Deon Cole, Adele Givens, Benji Brown

Indianapolis                          Indiana Farmers Coliseum                         Friday, September 28, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Louisville                               KFC Yum! Center                                        Saturday, September 29, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Jacksonville                          Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena     Friday, October 05, 2018

Martin Lawrence with Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Adele Givens, Clayton Thomas

Orlando                                  Amway Center                                             Saturday, October 06, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Michael Blackson, Jay Pharoah, Clayton Thomas

Greenville                              Bon Secours Wellness Arena                    Friday, October 26, 2018

Martin Lawrence with Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Bruce Bruce, Benji Brown

Charlotte                                Bojangles’ Coliseum                                  Saturday, October 27, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Toronto                                  Scotiabank Arena                                       Friday, November 02, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Michael Blackson, Adele Givens, Benji Brown

Milwaukee                              UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena                   Saturday, November 03, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Cleveland*                             Wolstein Center                                          Friday, November 09, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Michael Blackson, Adele Givens, Clayton Thomas

Detroit                                    Little Caesars Arena                                   Saturday, November 10, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Deon Cole, Benji Brown, Clayton Thomas

New Orleans                          Lakefront Arena                                          Friday, November 30, 2018

Martin Lawrence with Rickey Smiley, Deon Cole, Bruce Bruce, Clayton Thomas

Birmingham                          Legacy Arena at the BJCC                         Saturday, December 01, 2018

Martin Lawrence with Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Jay Pharoah, Clayton Thomas

North Little Rock                   Verizon Arena                                              Friday, December 07, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Deon Cole, Adele Givens, Benji Brown

Jackson                                 Mississippi Coliseum                                 Saturday, December 08, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Adele Givens, Benji Brown

Norfolk                                   Scope Arena                                                Friday, December 14, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Raleigh                        PNC Arena                                    Saturday, December 15, 2018

Martin Lawrence with DeRay Davis, Rickey Smiley, Michael Blackson, Benji Brown

Baltimore                               Royal Farms Arena                                     New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2018

Martin Lawrence with Rickey Smiley, Bruce Bruce, Jay Pharoah, Adele Givens, Benji Brown

All lineups are subject to change.

*Cleveland goes on sale Thursday, July 26 at 10 a.m. All other dates go on sale Friday, July 27 at 10 a.m. local time.

For more information on Martin Lawrence, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/MartinLawrence

https://twitter.com/realmartymar

https://www.instagram.com/martinlawrence

About DeRay Davis:

A seasoned road warrior, DeRay Davis’ Netflix original comedy special HOW TO ACT BLACK hit the internet with a bang in November, receiving rave reviews. He also appeared in HBO’s ALL DEF COMEDY series which debuted end of 2017. The second season of VH1’s HIP HOP SQUARES, executive produced by Ice Cube and featuring DeRay as the hysterical host, is set to air in 2018, and simultaneously, DeRay will also star in SEASON 2 of the hit JOHN SINGLETON CREATED F/X TV show SNOWFALL. Recently, he also appeared on the big screen in ALL EYEZ ON ME and GROW HOUSE alongside Snoop Dogg.

About Rickey Smiley:

Rickey Smiley is a celebrated comedian, television host and top-rated nationally-syndicated radio personality who has earned a reputation for making audiences laugh both on and off stage for 27 years. Smiley has recorded 8 best-selling albums, including iTunes #1 comedy album, “Rickey Smiley: Prank Calls Number 6.” Smiley has also hosted BET’s “Open Casket Sharp” and “Comic View,” and has appeared on “Showtime At The Apollo,” “Uptown Comedy Club,” HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” and “Snaps”.  In addition to being featured on DISH NATION, his nationally syndicated morning radio show can be heard in over 65+ U.S. markets. Smiley’s major feature film roles in urban classics include “All About The Benjamin’s”, “Friday After Next,” and hit romantic comedy “Baggage Claim.” He continues to work on acclaimed TV One docu-series “Rickey Smiley for Real”, and recently published his memoir “Stand by Your Truth and Then Run for Your Life” through Gallery Books.

About Michael Blackson:

He has been called one of the most original stand-up comics in the country, and his performances leave audiences laughing in tears. Michael Blackson, aka, ‘The African King of Comedy’, has been entertaining audiences all across the country and around the globe for more than a decade. Blackson’s comedic appeal grew from his involvement with BET’s ComicView series, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at Harlem, and Live in Hollywood. Along with his film and television endeavors, Blackson continues to entertain his fans as the headliner for live shows at comedy clubs, universities and special events, bringing his one-of-a kind, must-see stand-up performance to audiences all across the country and around the world.

About Jay Pharoah:

Jay Pharoah is an actor and stand-up comedian. With six seasons as a cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Pharoah is best known for staring in Showtime’s “White Famous” Produced by Jamie Foxx. His appearances on Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Harvey, Ellen, Conan, and many more have been shared on the internet hundreds of millions of times.

About Deon Cole:

Deon Cole is one of the most in-demand talents on the comedy scene. Not only is he currently a cast member on four TV shows, BLACKISH (ABC), GROWNISH (Freeform), ANGIE TRIBECA (TBS) and FACE VALUE (BET) you can also find his comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix’s THE STANDUPS.

About Bruce Bruce:

Bruce Bruce is one of the nation’s favorite standup comedians. Audiences know him not only as the host of BET’s Comic View, his own one hour standup specials, his Countless appearances on HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central, but also from feature films “Top Five” and “Think Like a Man,” and many others.

About Adele Givens:

Since the day Adele Givens was crowned winner of the Crown Royal Comedy competition in the city of Chicago, she realized she was destined to become comedic royalty. Since then, Adele has the rare ability to make you laugh, think, cry, and cringe all at the same time! Adele and her famous catch phrase “I am SUCH a f*&^($g lady!!” have gone viral. The “Queen of Comedy” also wowed audiences nationwide on the sold out “Queens of Comedy Tour”.

About Clayton Thomas:

Clayton Thomas (“CT”) is known for turning a comedy show upside down. He has served as writer and actor on Bounce TV’s hit sitcom FAMILY TIME for 5 seasons, appeared on MODERN FAMILY, SUPERIOR DONUTS, INSECURE, UNCLE BUCK, and was the premiere comedian on the new season of HBO’s ALL DEF COMEDY. Thomas also hosted his own weekly show on Playboy Radio entitled “Clayton Thomas Against the World”, and co-hosted “Speedy’s Comedy Corner” on Foxxhole Radio for Sirius-XM.

About Benji Brown:

Benji Brown has been heating up the national comedy scene through his candid and comedic performances. He has appeared on BET’s Comic View, Laffapalooza hosted by Academy Award Winner Jamie Foxx, and Nick Cannon‘s Wild n’ Out on MTV, and has performed on 1st Amendment Stand Up presented by Martin Lawrence on STARZ and Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns Tour. Brown has worked alongside a list of headliners including Chris Rock, Steve Harvey, Rickey Smiley and Monique.

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