<Tr> <Th> Followed by </Th> <Td> All Def Comedy </Td> </Tr> <P> Def Comedy Jam is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons . </P> <P> The series had its original run from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997 . Simmons was inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by Jerry Lewis' movie The Nutty Professor . The show returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006 . Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African - American stand - up comedians . </P> <P> The show was criticized for excessive foul language and negative representations of African Americans . These criticisms were brought up and discussed by some of the comedians who got their start on the show in a Netflix Original special celebrating the 25th anniversary of the show called Def Comedy Jam 25 . </P>

How long was def comedy jam on the air