Q&A / D.L. HUGHLEY, comedian: Comic D.L. Hughley gets topical on CNN talk show

CNN has had a new weekend talk show host since October, and he’s … a stand-up comedian?

“D.L. Hughley Breaks the News” offers a take on the week’s events in politics, entertainment, sports and pop culture. The onetime sitcom star (“The Hughleys”) and BET regular took time to answer a few questions.

Q: You and CNN —- as if the line separating news and entertainment wasn’t already murky enough?

A: The news has always informed what I talk about. My gig hasn’t changed. News has been inundated with entertainment elements since O.J. So to even now pretend that news and entertainment haven’t meshed is disingenuous.

Q: You were taken by surprise when former White House rep Scott McClellan came on and endorsed Barack Obama. What else has caught you off guard?

A: Al Sharpton and I haven’t seen eye to eye on a lot of things, and I was shocked at how different he was than I always imagined he would be. I’ve misjudged his motives. I always thought he was just doing what he does because he wanted attention. The more I talk to him, the more I realize that —- however sometimes misguided he can be —- he does what he does because he wants to make things better.

Q: Have you met Anderson Cooper yet? He’s spread kind of thin, no?

A: Anderson Cooper is CNN’s Ryan Seacrest.