Comedy legend will bring his return to the stage to Columbia for a performance

Comedy legend Martin Lawrence announced he’s hitting the road for his first national arena tour in nearly a decade, and a stop in Columbia is included among his scheduled performances.

The comedian and star actor will bring his “Y’all Know What It Is!” tour to Colonial Life Arena on Sept. 7, promoters said Wednesday in a news release.

Lawrence’s first tour since 2016 is set to launch after the June 7 release of the latest installment of the “Bad Boys” action/comedy movie franchise. Titled “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the movie will reunite Lawrence and Will Smith on the big screen.

In Columbia, Lawrence will top the bill that is also expected to feature comedians Deon Cole and Benji Brown, according to the release.

Tickets will go on sale to the public on May 17 at 10 a.m. at martinlawrenceontour.com and ticketmaster.com.

Following that, any tickets that are still available can be purchased the next business day online, or at the Colonial Life Arena box office on the following Tuesday.

Information on ticket prices was not available.

Lawrence’s tour will stop in nearly 40 cities across the U.S., but the Columbia performance is the only scheduled show in South Carolina.

The performance is expected to feature Lawrence finding humor in multiple subjects, ranging from family to culture, according to the release.

“Comedy gives me that instant gratification,” Lawrence said in the release. “Seeing the fans up close and in person, making people laugh, doing what I love most, this is what it’s all about for me.”

Lawrence launched his comedy career in New York at the Improv Comedy Club, and his breakthrough film role was in Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing!”

Other supporting film roles followed, including “House Party,” and “Boomerang,” before Lawrence became the host of the HBO series “Def Comedy Jam.”

In 1992, Lawrence landed his own television series, “Martin,” which was a hit a led to starring roles films including “Life,” “Big Momma’s House,” and the “Bad Boys” franchise.