Comedian DL Henry says College is no Joke

Comedian D L Henry has been described as gut busting funny and hilariously clever and witty.  In his shows he touches on real life issues without using inappropriate language.  Henry, a former pastor, doesn’t claim that he “won’t step on your toes,” he just promises to do so in a clean, good spirited manner.

Henry grew up in a Goldsboro drug infested housing project, and at one point in his life was homeless.  He took relief from his situation by participating in sports.  He played football and baseball and was a member of the dive team.  After graduating from Goldsboro High School in 1991 he received a college football scholarship, but soon found out he was not ready for the college scene.  Henry married his high school sweetheart, Nakia Henry, at the age of 20.  They have been married 18 years and have three sons Xavier – 16, D’Mitri – 14, and Nakia – 8.

Henry began pursuing comedy as a profession in 2006.  He has performed on stage with Gospel greats Noel Jones, The Williams Brothers, and Smokie Norful.  He has even done show tours with Carnival Cruise Lines.

While there may not be a huge demand for Henry’s comedy in the night club scene, he is highly sought after for conferences, conventions, corporate, and church events.  He seems to have found a small niche in the larger comedy industry – noting that “clean” comedians are often much more marketable than their mainstream counterparts.

To further cultivate his comedic career, Henry and his family have recently moved to Austin, Texas.  Future plans include performing with Cruising for Christ on Carnival Liberty with Vickie Yohe and Vanessa Bell Armstrong in September, shooting a pilot for an upcoming sitcom in Louisiana in February, and appearing in a movie next summer that will be shot in New York City. His management group is also negotiating for a cartoon with a Los Angeles studio.

With his career escalating Henry’s wife, Nakia, thought her husband needed to pursue a college degree to be better equipped for the business side of comedy.  Having earned her associate’s degree and being just two classes shy of earning her BS degree in criminal justice and criminology from University of Mount Olive, Nakia persuaded her husband to attend MOC.  Needing to complete his degree quickly Henry has taken courses from both the Washington and New Bern locations of University of Mount Olive.  Now that they are in Texas, both husband and wife are taking their last two courses online with the hopes of graduating this summer.

When asked why, in the face of a budding career, he felt compelled to complete his degree, he said, “All of this can end, but you can never take away a person’s education – and that’s no joke!”

University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville.  For more information, visit www.moc.edu.