Rodney Perry, sidekick on 'Mo'Nique Show,' sees life on the rise

Mo'Nique, the Oscar-winning actress and comedienne, last year plucked Perry from relative obscurity to be part of her show, an opportunity he has been able to parlay into bigger stand-up gigs and a bigger profile.

While Mo'Nique herself is a wicked funny comic herself, she uses Perry as a sounding board for jokes. He'll also throw in a couple of sketches a week and jump into the audience to take comments at Mo'Nique's behest.

"I look at myself as an extension of her," he said Friday. "When we're writing different bits for the show, I try to be the voice of her sensibility." Earlier, he noted, "She is the lead. She's generous to share the light with me."

"Rodney Perry is one of the brilliant comics I've ever had the honor to play with," Mo'Nique said on the BET Hip Hop Awards red carpet Oct. 2. "You see the chemistry? He's my brother!"

Perry, a Chicago native, said he began doing stand-up at age eight when his teacher would allow him to do ten minutes of jokes at the end of the day if he'd keep his trap shut the rest of the time. As he got older, he was inspired by Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy records.

Over nearly 20 years, Perry became part of the ocean of struggling mid-level stand-up comics trying to break through the flotsam. He's done military bases, casinos and small clubs in places like Mountain Home, Idaho. A friend drove him from gig to gig one year when his car broke down.

After eight years in the Navy, George Lopez helped Perry out, giving him opening slots. Later, Cedric the Entertainer made him his warm-up act for his TV show. He wrote for Atlantan Steve Harvey's sketch show and learned about branding. Four years ago, Mo'Nique saw him at a club, liked him and without prompting, took his wife on a $2,500 shopping spree. "We were floored," he said.

About that time, he began a four-season run on TV One with Bill Bellamy's "Who's Got Jokes" show, followed by aÂstint on Mo'Nique's short-lived syndicated radio show that preceded the BET talk show. "She's the type of person who says, 'Sugar, one day, if it happens for me, I'll hook you up' - and mean it," he said.

Even without Mo'Nique, Uptown Comedy Corner owner Gary Abdo said Perry has a great reputation. He's likable, reliable and understands business.

"He's in my opinion one of the most under-rated comics," said Abdo, who schedules Perry as a headliner twice a year. "He's one of those hard, hard hitters. He doesn't let up. His energy level is just incredible."

He celebrated his 40th birthday last month at an Atlanta club featuring R&B band Musiq Soulchild. Last week, he hired his first manager Charles Gooch, who has repped Arnez J. He is humbled that he has finally found his footing at this stage in his career.

"I know how to manage money now," Perry said in his trailer between tapings of "Mo'Nique" last Tuesday. "If I were 22, I'd be partying with strippers here right now!"

One downside to fame: people are now asking him for money all the time. A dude who Perry knew for two days had the temerity to ask for a loan. "I felt like I was getting punk'd!" he said.

Perry said in comparison, he has a best friend, a fellow comic named Joey Wells, who has never asked him for a penny. Wells, in fact, was the one who drove Perry around in his car for a year when Perry was down and out and didn't even ask for gas money.

"I actually called him yesterday and asked him if he needed any money," Perry said. (Wells said no but appreciated the thought.)

Wells, in a separate interview, said friends keep asking him if Perry is still in touch with him. Indeed, Perry talks to Wells several times a week. "People seem to want to know if Rodney's changed. He hasn't. Everyone assumes we don't talk anymore!"

What Wells thinks makes Perry special is he is truly a "genuine guy. And he's not dark. He doesn't have any vices - unless you count PlayStation."

I would have added more from the day I spent at a taping last Tuesday at Turner Studios (George Wallace was a guest, Vernon Jones was in the audience) but minutes after I started Tweeting about it, production manager Tony Strickland came running into the green room in a total panic. Apparently, some folks at the show get my Tweets. He told me sternly that I wasn't supposed to do that although I told him nobody had given me any warning. But he acted as if I were committing a federal offense or possibly wielding a weapon. He was pretty peeved. I figured one false word and he'd have booted me from the premises. So I cooperated. In fact, he demanded I delete my Tweets and my notes from the show. He even made sure a lower-level employee watched me do so since he had to go back to running the actual show. I was planning to interview show producers about Perry for this story but given the elevated level of paranoia, I decided to skip it. (Things were a lot looser a year ago when I visited the set before the show debuted. Times change!)

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