It’s fitting that comedian Paul Mooney was once a ringmaster. After all, for this talented, abrasive, controversial funnyman, life has been a little bit of a circus.

From working with the legendary Richard Pryor to writing for “Saturday Night Live,” “In Living Color,” “Sanford and Son,” and “Good Times,” among others, as well as his own stellar standup work, it’s all in Mooney’s new memoir, “Black is the New White.” You can be assured of one thing – it will be both bracingly honest and ridiculously funny. Mooney adds to the Pryor legend with his insider stories of the comic’s genius, as well as his demons, and offers his take on the state of black and white relations in America.

Most notably, Mooney has vowed to stop using the n-word, a staple of his work, after “Seinfeld” actor Michael Richards was taped using it to insult a heckler at a Los Angeles comedy club. Yet, he wants the world to know he invented the term “N---a, please.”

Contradictory? Yes. Controversial. Yes. But one thing you can say about Paul Mooney, best exemplified in his past statements, is that he keeps it real and keeps it funny.
 

ON RACISM:

“America is racist, it started off that way. If you don’t believe me, go to a reservation and talk to the Indians. Race is going nowhere in America. That is why you have all these racial comments about Louisiana. Race is going nowhere, and America is the founder of racism. What goes around comes around. You can’t hold a race of people and sell them without having a backlash.”

- Hillzoo.com

ON BET:

“BET is owned by white people. They rewrite history. They are big liars. They had my show ‘Judge Mooney.’ They got scared. They don’t like the messages I send. They’re intimidated and get frightened. I’m the Jew who says they’re going to gas us. Nobody wants to believe our neighbors are going to put us in a gas chamber.”

- AJC.com (2009)

ON THE N-WORD:

“I heard about it, and then I saw the [Michael Richards] video, and it freaked me. I'm not easily freaked. And the way I used the word, I was an ambassador for the word. The way I used the word, I was a part of it too. It became an equal-opportunity word. All the little white kids, all the little Latin kids, the Asians, the Mexicans, they were all using it. And it shouldn't be equal opportunity. Even though some people say, 'We use the n-a; not the n-er,' it doesn't matter. A goat's a goat. Whether you sauté or barbeque it, it's still a goat. And there were layers to his breakdown, to Michael. I've known Michael for over 20 years. There were layers to it. This came out of Michael. Michael's a victim of America. There are a lot of white people who have this stuff inside them. It just takes the right situation to bring it out. White America should take responsibility for it like I'm taking responsibility for it. I'm not saying it. You have to say no to it. I was married to the word, I was the ambassador for the word. And now I'm not saying it any more.

- Avclub.com (2007)

ON REGRETS:

“How can I regret anything when I was born black in America? Every day is hard as a black man in America, so what the f--k should I have to regret? Why do I need to apologize for anything? White people are killing motherf--rs every day without apologizing. What .....

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