Top 20 Funniest In Living Color Sketches Ever
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Funniest In Living Color Sketches Ever. For this list, we’ll be ranking the most outrageous, laugh-out-loud or otherwise memorable skits from this boundary pushing comedy series. What’s your favorite In Living Color memory? Let us know in the comments!
#20: Player’s Club
You don’t need to know the history of legalized gambling to laugh at this “In Living Color” sketch featuring Jim Carrey. The future mega-star does a great impression of showbiz icon Telly Savalas, who used to be the spokesman for the Player’s Club membership service. However, he doesn’t offer discounts on hotel rooms and in-demand Vegas shows. Carrey’s “Player’s Club” is actually a weapon that’s used to exact vengeance upon those unwilling to comp Mr. Savalas. Jim goes all in with his impersonation. Additionally, the action on display plays the “tough guy” character Savalas was known for playing on the classic seventies television series, “Kojak.”
#19: Jheri’s Kids
Jim Carrey’s spot-on impressions helped make a ton of “In Living Color” bits absolutely unforgettable. In the “Jheri’s Kids” sketch, he does an expert Jerry Lewis Impersonation. Carrey also makes fun of the Hollywood legend’s telethon that used to run every Labor Day Weekend.
But instead of fighting for a noble cause like Lewis would, the “In Living Color” comedian tries to stop the epidemic of Jheri Curl hairstyles. Since this fashion trend had blown up in the 80s, the crowd loved seeing it get made fun of in the early 90s. Tommy Davidson also totally steals the show by warning us of the dangers of Jheri curls. Despite leaning on specific references from the 90s, this sketch still feels funny and timeless.
#18: Calhoun Tubbs
The life of a unique Michigan personality was the impetus behind this recurring character from “In Living Color” star David Alan Grier. In the sketches, the comedian parodied a real life man known as Shakey Jake who was fond of singing and making up exaggerating stories about his life. That meant that Grier’s “Calhoun Tubbs” was also an off-key singer and teller of tall tales. Sure, Grier’s blues songs are presented as being a bit more confrontational and insulting. But you know what? We just couldn’t get enough. No matter what comes his way, Calhoun Tubbs has a song for every occasion. Every tune is short, most songs are mean and all of them are hilarious.
#17: Make a Death Wish Foundation
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Jim Carrey’s killer impersonation skills (no pun intended) struck again when he revealed his dead-on interpretation of Charles Bronson. Ok, that last pun was intended. Carrey took Bronson’s infamous and brutal character from the “Death Wish” series and put him in an unlikely scenario. The fictional Bronson’s “Make a Death Wish Foundation” makes childrens’ dreams come true…at any cost. Carrey nails Bronson’s vocal inflection while also parodying the “Death Wish” franchise’s legendary reputation for violence. He’s not afraid to threaten and hurt people to ensure a kid can play major sports, fly an airplane and more. Bronson’s brutal foundation gets great results and makes us laugh at the same time.
#16: Oswald Bates Meets Barbara Bush
While this sketch wasn’t the only one on “In Living Color” to feature the character of Oswald Bates, it’s perhaps one of the funniest. The character was a recurring fan favorite who loved to wax poetic. However, he often used the completely wrong words to convey his feelings. That’s why it was so amusing to see him come in contact with the sharp former First Lady Barbara Bush. When she visits a prison that’s implemented her literacy program, she finds Bates in jail. A
Although everything he says sounds like total nonsense, the former first lady understands and talks back. Kelly Coffield Park’s Bush almost steals the show here from Damon Wayans as Bates. Their exchange was brief, nonsensical and hilarious.
#15: Juicemania
Man, Jim Carrey just had a knack for parodying the pop culture zeitgeist, didn’t he? Jay Kordich was a pioneering salesman for the “juicing” craze of the early nineties. His infomercials mainly espoused the health benefits of an extra-juiced diet. To comedically demonstrate how effective the beverages were, Carrey went to extreme lengths. At one point, he even pulls what looks like an RV with his teeth? Carrey brings an astronomical amount of energy to everything he juices. Soil, garbage, dirty underwear and more are all exciting ingredients to him. Carrey even claims that juice can grant invisibility and the power of flight. While the drinks look disgusting, his enthusiasm for his concoctions almost make us want to try one. Heavy emphasis on almost.
#14: Wanda Wayne
There’s no denying that a sketch like this would be unlikely to be greenlit today. This recurring Jamie Foxx character saw him dressing up as an unattractive woman named Wanda Wayne. At one time, the character was praised due to the comedian’s committed performance and physical humor. He also occasionally used Wanda to call out famous fictional male characters who tried to use their power or authority to attract women. However, the fact that the humor of the skits mainly leaned on the fact that Foxx was crossdressing makes these scenes dated by today’s standards. While the character’s popularity can’t be denied, Wanda also stands as a reminder of how much comedy has changed.
#13: Background Guy
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We’ve all seen at least one local news report where someone in the background just seems a little too excited about appearing on T.V. Jim Carrey’s “Background Guy” essentially plays the most exaggerated version of this kind of person. Throughout this recurring series, the Background Guy proves that he’s willing to do almost anything to get five minutes of fame. Since Carrey didn’t have many lines to work with here, these skits highlighted his incredible knack for physical comedy. He’s definitely a consistent distraction for every poor news reporter that’s simply trying to do their job. However, Background Guy was the main attraction in every “In Living Color” news story that featured him fighting to be noticed.
#12: Wrath of Farrakhan
“In Living Color” had a knack for providing unique twists on the classic art of the movie parody. Their take on “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” featured the Minister Louis Farrakhan making an unannounced appearance on the USS Enterprise. Damon Wayans does a great job impersonating the controversial leader. At the same time, Jim Carrey absolutely kills with a stellar William Shatner impression. Their performances shine in a skit where Farrakhan attempts to stir rebellion and dissension amongst the crew because he insists they’re bound to their positions. Once Farrakhan succeeds, he orders The Enterprise to boldly go where no man has gone before for a memorable ending.
#11: Homeboy Shopping Network
Over the years, plenty of personalities and channels have featured home shopping shows that viewers can call into. But we’re still willing to bet that none of them were quite like this. One popular “In Living Color” sketch centered around the “Homeboy Shopping Network”. Instead of relying on shiny new products, the hosts gave you stolen goods at a discounted price for a limited time. Actually, make that a very limited time. That’s because the Homeboy Shopping Network was almost always interrupted by incoming authorities or police. The sketch also gave audiences a now iconic “In Living Color” catch phrase.
#10: Defrosting Vanilla Ice
Out of all the stars "In Living Color" introduced to a prime time audience, a little comic by the name of Jim Carrey is one of their most notable. While he had plenty of highlights on the show, he absolutely nailed a musical parody of Vanilla Ice and his hit song, "Ice Ice Baby." Carrey commits to the clothes, hair and outrageous dance moves. He perfectly exaggerates Ice's already out-there personal style while giving us a musical performance we’ll never forget. In a sea of excellent musical parody sketches on “In Living Color”, this Ice parody floats to the top.
#9: Benita Butrell Spills the Tea
Gossip? Heavens, no. Benita Butrell wouldn't dream of speaking out of turn about a soul! Except, that's actually exactly what this character did, to exaggerated comedic effect. Kim Wayans encapsulates every local neighborhood gossip perfectly with this dirt-dishing homebody. Benita Butrell couldn’t help but speak directly to the camera about basically everyone she knows. The best running gag in these skits is that she tries to avoid talking badly about "Miss Jenkins"... but usually slips up anyone for one hilarious final punch line.
#8: Karate Instructor Bob Jackson
Jim Carrey’s back again to excel at what he does better than nearly any comic out there: physical stunts. If there's one running theme throughout Carrey's various characters on "In Living Color," it's their tendency to hurt, injure or otherwise maim themselves just doing their jobs. Bob Jackson, Karate Instructor was no exception. He always seems to get pushed to the brink of mortal injury. In Jackson's self defense class for women, he ends up getting stabbed by one of his students. Carrey's over-the-top reaction absolutely works within the realm of the character's larger than life persona.
#7: The Head Detective Gets on the Case
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The laws of physics are thrown out the window for this hilarious procedural parody involving a ...different sort of detective. A "Head Detective," in fact! Damon Wayans plays a short gumshoe that only has a head with tiny feet and arms and...well, that's about it. A lesser sketch comedy show might take this ridiculous premise and only rely on physical comedy bits. Luckily, the "In Living Color" writers knew exactly what to parody about classic crime stories to make the "Head Detective" sketches take themselves juuuust seriously enough to be smart and funny. Somehow, the show and audience suspend their disbelief about the gag and enjoy the side-splittingly hilarious"Head Detective".
#6: The Hedleys
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In this world, there's the average hard working American family...and then there's the Hedleys. This family is notorious for working a ridiculous amount of jobs. They also can't fathom the shame when their daughter, Margaret starts dating a boy with, gasp! only one job! This may seem like a one-note premise. However, the "In Living Color" cast nails it as usual thanks to their commitment to the characters. The fact that the Hedleys’ sketch wasn't just a one-and-done was testament to the fact that viewers wanted to see what the family was getting by week after week.
#5: Anton Jackson
Every member of Wayans' family came up with recurring characters and sketches for us to enjoy. Damon Wayans was particularly great at coming up with the iconic Anton Jackson, an unhoused man with a very memorable way of speaking. His unique take on the character was able to fit easily in a bunch of different hilarious scenarios. We saw him appear everywhere from Thanksgiving dinner to a military recruitment office. Anton even takes a jab at home improvement shows along the way. While he may be strange at times, we couldn't help but laugh every time.
#4: Black World
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"In Living Color" didn’t always deal with serious issues, but "Black World" was one awesome exception. T'Keyah Crystal Keymàh led this funny and topical sketch. She plays a little girl who's waiting for her mother to finish cleaning a movie theater so they can go home at last. During the sketch, she presents her fantasy land of "Black World" to the audience. Keymàh uses this construct to reference some of the daily struggles faced by the black community. She also juxtaposes those hardships with an idealized society of inclusion and acceptance. It's a sketch that pulls on the heartstrings just as much now as it did back in season 1.
#3: Men On...
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Our next entry is as controversial now as it was upon its debut in the very first episode of "In Living Color": "Men on..." starring David Allen Grier and Damon Wayans as Antoine Merriweather and Blaine Edwards. They both played into stereotypes of gay men while reviewing movies and other subjects on a weekly basis. The pair's ratings system and the witty repartee between Wayans and Grier were a hit with viewers at the time. However, the men’s performances - while good - still strike a nerve among many thanks to how gay men were perceived then, and how they still are today.
#2: Fire Marshall Bill
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Fire Marshall Bill was arguably one of Carrey's best loved, breakout characters from his tenure on "In Living Color. " This firefighter was similar to Carrey's Bob Jackson character in that he was always on the receiving end of some kind of disaster by the sketch's climax. In Bill's case, however, his damage was usually far more explosive and even more exaggerated than the Karate Instructor's. Carrey's character also boasted his own witty catchphrase, "let me show you something!" right before things went haywire. This one of the sketches that didn’t need an elaborate setup. Every time Fire Marshall Bill rolled in, we were ready to laugh.
#1: Homey D. Clown
We’re willing to bet that you’ve never met an entertainer as unpredictable as Homey D. Clown. Played to comedic perfection by Damon Wayans, this clown was actually a criminal serving out his debt to the community. Unfortunately, he seemed to have a really short fuse when it came to the people he was supposed to entertain. Get on Homey's bad side and boom! An unwilling guest will get hit upside the head with a tennis ball in a sock. Wayans' catch phrase of “Homey don't play that”' caught on almost immediately. Everyone wanted to hear him say those legendary words as he tried his best to grin and bear the sentence of his work release program.
