Lavell Crawford
An exasperated storyteller who turns minor annoyances into breathless physical events.
4 specials · 2017–2024
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Lavell Crawford performs like a man who just walked up four flights of stairs to complain about his relatives. He uses his entire body to sell a bit, widening his eyes in mock terror and letting his voice crack into a squeak when he reaches the peak of his frustration. A typical bit involves a mundane situation, like grocery shopping with his mother or eating at a barbecue, that escalates until Crawford is physically panting into the microphone. He treats the audience like a captive jury, laying out the exact reasons why he had no choice but to lose his mind.
Specials
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Comedy Dynamics · 57 min
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Comedy Dynamics · 89 min
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Comedy Dynamics · 87 min
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Lavell Crawford mocks childhood holiday disasters and his recent weight loss.
Showtime · 58 min
On stage
He operates on stage as a man entirely defeated by circumstance. He plays theaters and large clubs, leaning on a storytelling rhythm rooted in Midwestern Black comedy traditions. Other performers point to him as a pure stage presence who can command a room simply by changing how heavily he breathes.
His sets are built on long, escalating narratives. The comedy comes from his bewildered reactions to the world rather than dense wordplay. He will act out a family argument from three different perspectives, consistently casting himself as the only reasonable person in a house full of lunatics. When a story wanders, he relies on his physical timing to hold the crowd, pausing for a prolonged stare or a disgusted sigh until he grabs the next thread.
A St. Louis native [1], his regional accent shapes the pacing of his setups. Many television audiences first encountered him playing Huell Babineaux on Breaking Bad [1] and Better Call Saul, a role that captured his ability to draw a laugh from a silent, exhausted stare.
Turning points
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Runner-Up Run on Last Comic Standing
Crawford finished as the runner-up on season five of NBC's Last Comic Standing, earning the nickname 'The People's Champ' and securing major network holding deals.
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Casting as Huell Babineaux in Breaking Bad
Crawford was cast as Saul Goodman's bodyguard Huell on AMC's Breaking Bad, creating an iconic television character that he later reprised in Better Call Saul.
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Grammy Nomination for The Comedy Vaccine
Crawford received his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for the album release of The Comedy Vaccine.
At a glance
Fans also like
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SinbadCrawford was inspired to transition into stand-up comedy after witnessing Sinbad perform live at his college.
Also on screen
- 2009–2012
- Chelsea Lately
- 2011–2013
- Breaking Bad
- Workaholics
- The Crazy Ones
- The Ridiculous 6
A clip to start with
Mama Was Old School