Craig Robinson is done with comedy.
The comedian took to Instagram at the end of June to announce that he’s retiring from comedy to focus on starting a small business.
“Just want you to hear it from me. I am quitting comedy, but not for nothing,” said Robinson in the video. “It’s been an amazing run, and y’all been amazing and wonderful. But I’m following something bigger. So, you know, thank you so much. I love you, and stay tuned.”
Though Robinson didn’t detail what his “something bigger” is, he asked for advice about starting a small business in a separate post.
“Turns out having a dream and building a business with your friends are two VERY different things,” said Robinson. “I can’t go into detail just yet, but for real though any help would be huge. Big shoutout to all my small business owners. Hey, you guys got any advice for me while I’m trying to get my business afloat?”
Robinson began his comedy career at Illinois State University as a student. After performing at open-mic sessions in locations like New York and Los Angeles, and winning regional comedy competitions, he began performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live and other late-night TV shows.
His comedic chops would lead to him appearing in shows like The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Reno 911! as well as in movies like Pineapple Express, Knocked Up, and Hot Tub Time Machine.
In a 2023 interview with Shondaland, Robinson revealed why he got into comedy in the first place.
“At a very early age, there was something magical about that attention of entertaining, so I was always silly in school and stuff,” he explained. “I think when I got to college is when I got serious about comedy and trying to figure out how people stand on stage and hypnotize somebody.”
If you want to catch Robinson’s comedy live before he’s finished, you’re in luck. According to StubHub, he has dozens of stand-up shows booked at comedy clubs around the United States through November.
