Russell Simmons is bringing the laughs back to HBO. The Def Jam co-founder recently announced he is rebooting his wildly popular stand-up comedy series, Def Comedy Jam, on the network.

The revamped version will now be known as All Def Comedy and will start airing in December. Tony Rock will take the helm as the host. “I have witnessed firsthand how the most cutting-edge, seemingly alternative comics become the driving forces in mainstream comedy,” Simmons said in a press release. “I’m thankful to HBO for allowing me to give these new voices access to mainstream audiences everywhere.”

Def Comedy Jam originally aired from 1992-1997 and was hosted by a number of comedians including Martin Lawrence and D.L. Hugley. It features some of the hottest up-and-coming comedians on the planet at the time and catapulted the careers of people like Chris Tucker and Mike Epps. The show was brought back for another run in 2006.

In related news, it was also recently announced that Simmons is working on a reboot to Def Poetry Jam. Def Poetry Jam, a spinoff of, Def Comedy Jam, originally ran from 2002-2007 and was hosted by Mos Def. The show featured the talents of up-and-coming and famous poets alike. Known entertainers also appeared on the show including, Lauryn Hill, DMX, Talib Kweli, Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Tracey Morgan, David Banner, Mike Epps and more.

Simmons has hopes of getting that show back up and running with Chance The Rapper hosting the new rendition. “Super excited. Been in negotiation with @chancetherapper to host Def poetry jam for HBO. !!!! Would u guys like to see that #Emmys,” Simmons tweeted a couple weeks ago.

Yes, we would.

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