# Donnell Rawlings
**Donnell Rawlings** is an American comedian, actor, and radio host, best known as a cast member on the [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) sketch series *[Chappelle's Show](https://www.edgepedia.org/chappelles-show)*, where his recurring characters, most notably Ashy Larry, made him a recognizable figure in sketch comedy, and for his role as Day-Day Price on the HBO drama *The Wire*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Washington, D.C.; raised in Alexandria, Virginia[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/donnell-rawlings/bio/3030015240/) |
| Known for | Ashy Larry on *Chappelle's Show*; Day-Day Price on HBO's *The Wire*[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/) • [3](https://www.summitcomedy.com/donnell-rawlings/) |
| Stand-up special | *Chappelle's Home Team Presents: Donnell Rawlings: A New Day*, Netflix, produced by Dave Chappelle (2024)[4](https://wtop.com/entertainment/2024/07/donnell-rawlings-comes-home-to-the-birchmere-sharing-memories-of-chappelles-show-the-wire/) |
| Podcast | *The Donnell Rawlings Show*, weekly on Fridays, co-hosted by Nicki McElroy, intro music by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/) |
| Television acting | HBO's *Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty* (Adam McKay), HBO's *The Corner*, NBC's *Third Watch*, *Law & Order* franchises[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/) • [3](https://www.summitcomedy.com/donnell-rawlings/) |
| Military service | United States Air Force in the late 1980s and early 1990s; speaks Korean from being stationed in South Korea[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/donnell-rawlings/bio/3030015240/) |
| Current touring | Headlining club and theater dates across the United States and Canada in 2026 and 2027, including dates billed as "Donnell Rawlings: The Unspeakable Tour"[5](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/whereisdonnellrawlings) • [6](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917GlQV/donnell-rawlings-events) |
## Early life and background
Rawlings was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in [Alexandria, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandria-virginia), where he graduated from T.C. Williams [High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school)[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/donnell-rawlings/bio/3030015240/). He served in the [United States Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-air-force) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period that included a posting to South Korea where he learned to speak Korean[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/donnell-rawlings/bio/3030015240/).
His comedy career began on the Washington, D.C. scene, where he worked as what a Paramount press release called the "official heckler" before moving on to performing stand-up himself[7](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rawlings-rolls-out-punches-world-television-premiere-donnell). His early credits included appearances on *The Ricki Lake Show*, guest spots on New York's Hot 97 Morning Show, and a role in the film *Spider-Man II*[7](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rawlings-rolls-out-punches-world-television-premiere-donnell). His first on-screen role came in a 1998 episode of *Law & Order*[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/donnell-rawlings/bio/3030015240/).
## Chappelle's Show
Rawlings joined the cast of *Chappelle's Show*, the Comedy Central sketch series that began in 2003, and became best known for playing Ashy Larry, a character his own website credits with making him first widely recognized[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/). Some of his most memorable moments on the show were delivered off the cuff; in a Drink Champs interview, Rawlings described how a production challenge led to an improvised delivery that became one of the sketch series' most recognizable moments[8](https://drinkchamps.com/what-really-happened-behind-chappelles-show-donnell-rawlings-tells-all/).
When [Dave Chappelle](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-chappelle) left the series, Rawlings and comedian [Charlie Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-murphy-actor) co-hosted the follow-up program *Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes*[9](https://time.com/4736825/comedian-charlie-murphy-death/).
## Acting career
Rawlings has appeared in HBO productions on both the drama and comedy sides. He played Day-Day Price on HBO's Emmy Award-winning series *The Wire* and appeared in the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries *The Corner*[3](https://www.summitcomedy.com/donnell-rawlings/). He has described being part of both *Chappelle's Show* and *The Wire* as being in two historic shows, noting that both ranked in the Top 50 of an [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) list of the Top 100 TV Shows in the history of television[4](https://wtop.com/entertainment/2024/07/donnell-rawlings-comes-home-to-the-birchmere-sharing-memories-of-chappelles-show-the-wire/).
His later television work includes co-starring in [Adam McKay](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-mckay)'s HBO series *Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty*[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/). His film appearances include *Spider-Man 2*[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/donnell-rawlings/).
## Stand-up and specials
In 2010, Comedy Central presented the world television premiere of his half-hour special *Donnell Rawlings: From Ashy to Classy*, airing Saturday, October 23 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT[7](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rawlings-rolls-out-punches-world-television-premiere-donnell).
His debut stand-up special, *Chappelle's Home Team Presents: Donnell Rawlings: A New Day*, was produced by Dave Chappelle for Netflix[4](https://wtop.com/entertainment/2024/07/donnell-rawlings-comes-home-to-the-birchmere-sharing-memories-of-chappelles-show-the-wire/). The special is drawn from material he developed in part while performing at the socially distanced "Dave Chappelle & Friends" shows in [Yellow Springs, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/yellow-springs-ohio), during the pandemic period[11](https://hightimes.com/culture/comedian-donnell-rawlings-just-rips/).
## Podcast
*The Donnell Rawlings Show* is a weekly podcast that drops every Friday, recorded from his studio in Hollywood unless he is on the road or shooting[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/). It covers pop culture, cancel culture, lifestyle, relationships, and his experiences on and off stage, and features his son Austen as a recurring topic[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/). The show is co-hosted by actress and writer Nicki McElroy, and its original intro music was scored by RZA of the [Wu-Tang Clan](https://www.edgepedia.org/wu-tang-clan)[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/). The podcast is distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube in video format, and Stitcher, among other platforms[2](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/).
## Touring
Rawlings maintains a heavy touring schedule of club and theater dates. His official itinerary for 2026 and 2027 lists dates across more than a dozen states and Canada, including Hilarities in Cleveland, Helium Comedy Club in [Alpharetta, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/alpharetta-georgia) and Philadelphia, MGM National Harbor in Maryland, the Ice House in Pasadena, the Comedy Store in [La Jolla](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-jolla), and City Winery in New York City[5](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/whereisdonnellrawlings). Several listings, including Live Nation and [Ticketmaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/ticketmaster), bill the November 28, 2026 MGM National Harbor show as "Donnell Rawlings: The Unspeakable Tour"[6](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917GlQV/donnell-rawlings-events) • [12](https://www.ticketmaster.com/donnell-rawlings-tickets/artist/849806?tt_scene=anchor_view). Ticket prices for his 2026 shows ranged from $22 to $43 depending on the venue and date[13](https://www.standupdates.com/comedians/donnell-rawlings).
## References
1. [Donnell Rawlings Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/donnell-rawlings/bio/3030015240/)
2. [Donnell Rawlings, official website](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/)
3. [Hire Comedian Donnell Rawlings, Summit Comedy](https://www.summitcomedy.com/donnell-rawlings/)
4. [Donnell Rawlings comes home to The Birchmere, WTOP News](https://wtop.com/entertainment/2024/07/donnell-rawlings-comes-home-to-the-birchmere-sharing-memories-of-chappelles-show-the-wire/)
5. [Tour Dates, donnellrawlings.com](https://www.donnellrawlings.com/whereisdonnellrawlings)
6. [Donnell Rawlings - 2026 Tour Dates, Live Nation](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917GlQV/donnell-rawlings-events)
7. [Rawlings Rolls Out the Punches in the World Television Premiere of 'Donnell Rawlings: From Ashy to Classy', Paramount](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/rawlings-rolls-out-punches-world-television-premiere-donnell)
8. [What Really Happened Behind Chappelle's Show? Donnell Rawlings Tells All, Drink Champs](https://drinkchamps.com/what-really-happened-behind-chappelles-show-donnell-rawlings-tells-all/)
9. [Comedian Charlie Murphy Dead at 57, TIME](https://time.com/4736825/comedian-charlie-murphy-death/)
10. [Donnell Rawlings, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/donnell-rawlings/)
11. [Comedian Donnell Rawlings Just Rips, High Times](https://hightimes.com/culture/comedian-donnell-rawlings-just-rips/)
12. [Donnell Rawlings Tickets, Ticketmaster](https://www.ticketmaster.com/donnell-rawlings-tickets/artist/849806?tt_scene=anchor_view)
13. [Donnell Rawlings Tour 2026: Dates & Tickets, StandUpdates](https://www.standupdates.com/comedians/donnell-rawlings)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › American stand-up comedians, contemporary › Stand-up comedians born 1960–1969*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license