FLINT, Michigan — Rickey Smiley is all smiles and laughs inside his home on a sunny Monday morning. He appears on our Zoom call with youthful exuberance to talk about “real journalism,” the 90s era of comedy, and his upcoming 'Rickey Smiley and Friends' show on April 12 at the
FIM Whiting Auditorium in Flint — a show he proclaims he’ll show up to “cleaner than a new napkin,” which causes an eruption of laughter to consume us.
But all that pales compared to the incredible week he and his twin daughters will have. The two-time Marconi award winner, author, philanthropist, and radio legend pans the camera around to showcase pressed clothes on one side of the kitchen’s center island and a karaoke machine on the other. He also explains all the food they intend to eat.
With a career that spans over 35 years from Def Comedy Jam to being the country’s #1 urban adult contemporary (UAC) morning show with the
Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Smiley, who balances humor, social issues, and entertainment, revels in the fact that family is king. It is something to relish after the passing of his son, Brandon Smiley, in 2023, who inspired the book
Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith, which chronicles Smiley’s journey with grief.
Flintside caught up with Smiley to talk about his love for performing, the changing landscape of entertainment, and what fans can expect from him next.
Flintside: You've been in the entertainment industry for over 35 years. What has kept you motivated all these years?
Rickey Smiley:
“Man, I absolutely love doing live performances. Going on stage, making people laugh, high-fiving people in the front row — I love my job. It’s nothing like a live show because, [unlike] radio, it’s hard to make people laugh when you got to hurry up and go to commercial. On stage, live, they see you from head to toe, as opposed to hearing your voice — that’s special.”
Flintside: As the host of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, how do you balance humor, social issues, and entertainment, especially today?
R. Smiley:
“It’s all about figuring out what’s trending versus what’s actually funny. It’s what’s trending versus the real news: the death of Angie Stone, the debacle in the White House with the president of Ukraine [to] sports entertainment to what went on at the red carpet at the Oscars. So, you get a good balance. That’s important to have a good balance and [making] sure we’re not tone-deaf.”
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Courtesy photo"You gotta dress up when you [perform in] Detroit and Flint," exclaims Smiley.
Flintside: That balance is amazing, considering the world's climate today. How do you keep your audience, especially Black listeners, engaged and coming back?
R. Smiley:
“You start with the funny — keeping it relevant and entertaining. People need a good laugh before work because work is complicated. If you get too serious on the radio in the morning while they’re going to work, that’s not good. One of the best things to do is keep them laughing and entertained spiritually [and] emotionally and get them going in the right direction.”
Flintside: You’ve had an incredible journey in radio. What advice would you give someone looking to break into the industry today?
R. Smiley:
“Radio is a business that’s shrinking because of social media, [and] advertisers are spending money to get on people’s algorithms. In the entertainment industry, it depends on what you do. [With] stand-up comedy, if you’re talented and know how to present yourself on stage, I would highly suggest you go to any local comedy spot and figure out how to get on stage. But, the industry is different. Now it’s a lot of pressure. Comedy was a lot more fun in the nineties. It was genuine, sincere, innocent.”
Flintside: What do you miss most about those days?
R. Smiley:
“The respect and kindness. Comedians were like frat brothers. Even when comedians did have beef, nobody knew about it. They’d get to a point where they sit down and have a conversation and squash it. Those Def Comedy Jam days were the best — performing in Detroit at Bea’s Comedy Kitchen and [Coco’s House of Comedy]. You were glad to get a flight, a hotel room, and do three shows that night. Now, [with social media], people speak about how they feel — comedians, rappers, even R&B singers got beef! It’s like the devil’s gotten into the industry.”
Flintside: Comedy has always been a way for Black people to heal. How do you decide if a joke crosses the line?
R. Smiley:
“It’s like oil and water. Some comedics, like Dave Chappelle, the stuff he talks about and the way he talks about it is absolute genius. I had to [tell] God one day, I wish I was talented like that. Chris Rock and Kevin Hart know how to take bad situations and make gold. If something ain’t funny to me and I’m offended by it, I’ll be on stage mad. I’m silly — like Mike Epps or Tony Roberts. That’s just how I get down.”
Flintside: You’re coming to Flint next month! What can we expect from your show?
R. Smiley:
“A good time — and some clean clothes! You gotta dress up when you [perform in] Detroit and Flint. I might go to that store where all the pastors buy their suits and get me a salmon-colored three-piece suit with some square-toe gaiters with my initials on the cuff. I’m excited. I get that flight into Detroit and drive up to Flint like it ain’t nothing. Michigan has been good to me. If I get there early enough, I would love to go and put flowers on Mr. Eric Mays’ grave — that was my friend.”
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Amazon.comRickey Smiley's book 'Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith' (2024).
Flintside: You do so much, but you’re also a father. How do you balance family life with being in the public eye?
R. Smiley:
“I already got their clothes laid out for them. I’m gonna go to the grocery store [and] today for dinner, we’re having hot dogs wrapped in bacon with the toothpick at the end. I’m gonna go to the deli, get them fresh baked hot dog buns, grill them with some butter, put cheese inside, [and] we’re gonna have us a nice dinner.
While they’re eating dinner, we finna sing. We got a karaoke machine at the table. Elton John’s '
Bennie and the Jets' is their favorite. We’re going to have a great evening, do some homework, and I think go outside and play. My kids argue about who had the best childhood. I think the older ones [did] because I was younger. Now, I have to take a nap!”
Flintside: We love a midday nap! You’ve connected with so many people doing your philanthropic work. What’s one of your most memorable experiences?
R. Smiley:
“When you are able to give to somebody, whether giving a card or the work we do in Kenya sponsoring the girls’ school, that’s what goes to my heart. That’s the stuff I’ll never forget. When you get down here and start dealing with people that don’t have nothing, and you’re able to make their situation better, don’t forget about the least of these. God used me to do great things in the community.”
Flintside: So, for my final question, are there any upcoming projects, ventures, or personal milestones you want to share?
R. Smiley:
“I got a Hulu special dropping April 11 — it’s gonna be funny as hell. I got a podcast coming out soon. I wrote a book called
Sideshow. Anybody out there that’s dealing with grief, my book is gonna help. I love my son, and it’s a great book that deals with grief. If you lost a mom, a kid, it’s going to help you with your grief process.”
You can catch Rickey Smiley every day on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. The 'Rickey Smiley and Friends' show happens on Saturday, April 12 at the FIM Whiting Auditorium in downtown Flint. Tickets are on sale now. Watch for his upcoming Hulu special and grab a copy of Sideshow, available where all books are sold.