Desi Banks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Desi Banks | |
|---|---|
 Banks in 2020 | |
| Born | Desi Terrell Banks Jr.[1] May 9, 1993[2] |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Medium | Social media, stand-up |
| Football career | |
| Profile | |
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Georgia) |
| College | Morehead State (2011–2012) |
| Website | Official website |
Desi Terrell Banks Jr. (born May 9, 1993) is an American comedian and actor. He played two seasons of college football for Morehead State as a wide receiver.
Banks was born and raised in the Eastside of Atlanta, Georgia.[3] He said he was "always the funny kid growing up" and influenced by comedians Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.[3][4] He went to Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia, where he competed in track, baseball, and football.[3]
Banks played football in college for the Morehead State Eagles. As a freshman and sophomore in 2011 and 2012, he recorded fourteen receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns in fifteen games.[5] He transferred and joined the Georgia State Panthers football team but did not get any playing time.[6] He graduated from Georgia State in December 2015 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.[3]
Career
Banks began posting comedy sketches to Vine in 2012.[7] As his videos went viral, he decided after graduation in 2015 to build a career in comedy because "football didn't work out".[3] He expanded to other platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and posted three or four videos daily.[3][7] As of 2023[update], he has over 8 million followers on Instagram, and his YouTube channel has accumulated over 2 million subscribers and over 750 million views.[8][9] The Hollywood Reporter has ranked him at least as high as No. 3 on its Top Comedians list.[10]
Banks started doing stand-up comedy in 2017.[3][4] In 2018, he founded a production company, Desi Banks Productions, that makes online videos.[3][7] He has acted in films such as Will Packer's Little (2018).[11]