Ronald Kyle Funches (born March 12, 1983) is an American comedian and actor. Born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Funches spent his early life in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

before relocating to

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

, as a teenager. He began his comedy career in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, at age 23. After moving to Los Angeles in 2012, he began appearing as a guest on several comedy series, including ''

@midnight ''@midnight with Chris Hardwick'' (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled ''@midnight'') is an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, ...

'', '' Mulaney'', and '' Kroll Show''. From 2014 to 2016, Funches starred as a regular on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

series ''

Undateable ''Undateable'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from May 29, 2014, to January 29, 2016, and originally premiered as a mid-season replacement. The series was created by Adam Sztykiel, based on the book ''Undateable: 31 ...

'', and in 2015, began performing as a voice actor on such series as ''

BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated tragicomedy television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...

'', ''

The Adventures of Puss in Boots ''The Adventures of Puss in Boots'' is an American animated television series, starring the character of Puss in Boots from DreamWorks Animation's ''Shrek'' film series and its 2011 spin-off film, voiced by Eric Bauza. The series premiered wi ...

'', and ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

''. He subsequently performed the voice role of Cooper in the animated film ''

Trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

'' (2016). He also had guest-starring roles on a number of television series, including '' Transparent'' (2016), ''

Black-ish ''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons with 176 episodes. ''Black-ish'' follows an uppe ...

'' (2017), and reprised the role of Cooper in the ''Trolls'' spin-off series '' Trolls: The Beat Goes On!'' (2018). Beginning in 2019, he began voicing the roles of

King Shark King Shark is a supervillain and later antihero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character, also known as Nanaue, was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett. King Shark's first key appearance was in ''Superboy (c ...

in the DC Comics TV series ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

'' and Fox in the TBS/

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

TV series ''

Final Space ''Final Space'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated space opera comedy drama television series created by Olan Rogers and developed by Rogers and David Sacks (writer), David Sacks. The series involves an astronaut named Gary Goodspeed ...

''. In 2020, Funches again reprised the role of Cooper in the sequel film ''

Trolls World Tour ''Trolls World Tour'' is a 2020 American animated musical fantasy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, based on the Good Luck Trolls dolls created by Thomas Dam. The sequel to ''Trolls'' (2016) and the ...

''. Starting in 2020, Funches voiced Ron on the Netflix series '' Hoops''. In 2021, Funches began voicing Kevin in the FX series '' Poorly Drawn Lines''.

Early life

Ronald Kyle Funches was born in

Carson, California Carson is a city in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and the Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International ...

, but spent his early life with his mother and sister in the Woodlawn neighborhood of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Funches' mother was a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

er. When he was 13 years old, he moved to

, to live with his father, who was employed there as a

pipefitter A pipefitter or steamfitter is a tradesman who installs, assembles, fabricates, maintains, and repairs mechanical piping systems. Pipefitters usually begin as helpers or apprentices. Journeyman pipefitters deal with industrial/commercial/marine ...

. He graduated from Douglas McKay High School in Salem, where he took English courses, and was inspired by writers such as

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger ( ; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel '' The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger published several short stories in '' Story'' magazine in 1940, before serving in World Wa ...

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

, and

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (; ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World War ...

. After high school, Funches relocated to

, where he worked a variety of jobs, including at a bank call center and as a clerk at a

Grocery Outlet Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. is an American discount closeout retailer consisting exclusively of supermarket locations that offer discounted, overstocked, and closeout products from name-brand and private-label suppliers. The company has stor ...

store.

Career

Funches began pursuing stand-up comedy at the age of 23 in Portland. After having a small role on an episode of ''

Portlandia ''Portlandia'' is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon, and spoofing the city's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters. The show was produced by Broa ...

'' in 2011, he relocated to Los Angeles in 2012. Beginning in 2013, he was a regular panelist on the comedy series ''

'', had a recurring role in the comedy series '' Crash & Bernstein'' (2013), and worked as a writer on ''

The Eric Andre Show ''The Eric Andre Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created and hosted by comedian Eric André. A parody of late night talk shows, it premiered on Cartoon Network's night-time programming block Adult Swim on May 20, 2012. The ...

'' and

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

's '' The Half Hour'' (2014). Also in 2014, Funches performed as a regular comic panelist on ''

Chelsea Lately ''Chelsea Lately'' is an American late-night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler. The show was produced by Handler's production company (Borderline Amazing Productions), and taped its later years a ...

''. Beginning in 2014, Funches appeared in several episodes of ''

Drunk History ''Drunk History'' is an American educational comedy television series produced by Comedy Central, based on the Funny or Die web series created by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner in 2007. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are the show's executive p ...

'', and in 2015, performed numerous guest-starring voice roles on the animated series ''

'', ''

'', and ''

''. Funches subsequently starred as Shelly on the NBC comedy series ''

'' from 2014 until the series' conclusion in 2016. Funches also had a supporting role in the 2015 comedy film '' Get Hard''. In 2016, he voiced the role of Cooper in the animated film ''

'', Also in 2016, Funches guest-starred on numerous series, such as ''

Another Period ''Another Period'' is an American period sitcom television series created by and starring Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome. It followed the lives of the Bellacourts, the first family of Newport, Rhode Island, at the turn of the 20th century. Li ...

'', '' Take My Wife'', and '' Transparent''. Beginning in 2019, he began voicing the role of

in the DC Comics TV series ''

'' and the role of Fox in the TBS series ''

''. He played the recurring character "Funchy" in season 3 (2019) of the CBS sitcom '' Man with a Plan''. Funches reprised his role of Cooper in the ''Trolls'' sequel, ''

'' (2020). Funches also voiced Shag Rugg on the 2021

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

television series ''

Jellystone! ''Jellystone!'' is an American animated television comedy, comedy television series developed by C. H. Greenblatt for the streaming service HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features reimagined versions of various cha ...

'' and Rock on the 2024

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

television series ''Rock Paper Scissors''. In 2021, Funches hosted a spin-off of the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

series '' Chopped''—'' Chopped 420—''for

Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discov ...

Influences

Funches has cited

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle ...

, and

Mitch Hedberg Mitchell Lee Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 23, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and deadpan delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes mixed with absurd elements and non s ...

as major influences on his comedy. Commenting on Ball, he said: "''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' was kind of my introduction to the world of comedy in general. And when you look at the history of Lucille Ball, and the work that she did for women in Hollywood, having her own production company, and also showing an interracial marriage on TV in the ’50s, to me, she’s just one of my biggest influences overall as a human being. That's what it means to be a professional and what it means to stand up for yourself even though interracial marriage has nothing to do with a career."

Personal life

Funches had his first son, Malcolm, when he was 20 years old. He mentions Malcolm's

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

in his standup routine and welcomes fans sharing their stories with him. He married Christina Dawn in August 2020. They had a son, Funches's second child, in 2022. In October 2022, they separated. Funches is an avid

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

r and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

fan, having taken classes at a wrestling school for a few months. Eventually Funches made his in-ring debut at GCW in September 2021 in a match against

Tony Deppen Anthony Deppen (born May 3, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently working for Major League Wrestling (MLW), Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Television Champion; and on the independent circuit. Professional wre ...

that featured

Paul Scheer Paul Christian Scheer (born January 31, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. Scheer is best known for his roles in FX/ FXX's ''The League'' and Showtime's comedy series '' Black Monday''. Scheer also co-created and s ...

as his cornerman and interference from Danhausen. In August 2022 he started his wrestling podcast ''One Fall with Ron Funches''. He told

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

that he had once weighed 360 pounds. Funches said that over a few years he lost around 140 pounds.

Filmography

Film

Television

Other accomplishments

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name is an initialism of Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's original name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the p ...

** Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship ( 1 time)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Funches, Ron 1983 births Living people Actual play performers 21st-century African-American male actors African-American male comedians African-American stand-up comedians American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male television writers American stand-up comedians Television writers from California Comedians from California Comedians from Chicago Comedians from Portland, Oregon Male actors from Chicago Male actors from Portland, Oregon Male actors from Salem, Oregon People from Carson, California Screenwriters from Illinois Screenwriters from Oregon 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people African-American male writers Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions African-American history of Oregon