Diagnosed with a rare cancer in July 2015 and given a prognosis of one year to live, standup comedian Quincy Jones is using his platform to shine a light on peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare cancer usually associated with exposure to asbestos.
Quincy, who played an astonishing 1,000 comedy sets in 2013, has continued to perform while undergoing an intensive chemotherapy regimen. He has also challenged his prognosis by honing his craft even more. The 32-year-old Seattle native decided he wanted to record a one-hour comedy special—considered a major career milestone for any comedian. To make that dream a reality, he and his friends, the Blaines, set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise $5,000 to fund the project. Quincy’s story touched thousands of people, and with the support of friends and comedians all over the country, the viral campaign garnered more than $50,000 in contributions.
To top it off, his goal came to the attention of comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who approached executives at HBO to pick up Quincy’s special. Quincy recorded the special on April 4, 2016 in front of an audience of 600 fans at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles. It is set to air on HBO at 10 pm on June 2, which also happens to be Quincy’s birthday.
Although Quincy admits he has been very blessed, he continues to remind folks that this is bigger than him or comedy: “This special is not about me. This is bigger than me. The special is dedicated to anybody who has been through cancer, lost someone to cancer or has cancer. This is literally about the disease.”
