A young stand-up comic battling cancer, who recently told his story on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” stars in his first HBO special when QUINCY JONES: BURNING THE LIGHT debuts THURSDAY, JUNE 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT).
Taped at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on April 4, the exclusive presentation features Jones’ take on a variety of topics, including gay marriage, the race card and the challenges of finding true love.
Originally from Seattle, the 32-year-old Jones moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. At the time of his diagnosis of terminal cancer in July 2015, he was performing an estimated 1,000 stand-up sets a year in order to develop his skills, and continues to perform today, despite ongoing chemotherapy.
To help Jones achieve his dream of starring in a stand-up comedy special that would be his legacy, friend and fellow comedian Nicole Blaine, along with her husband, Mickey Blaine, launched a Kickstarter campaign, which led to his March 15 appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and his subsequent HBO deal.
Jones found out that HBO would air his special in his return appearance on the show, which aired March 21.