On August 6, 2015 comedian Quincy Jones was told he had one year to live.
After undergoing tests due to an accumulation of fluid in his belly, Jones, 32, was diagnosed with stage IV mesothelioma.
Highly respected in stand-up comedy circles for his incisive wit and tireless work ethic (He often performed several hundred shows in a single year.), Jones – no relation to the music producer Quincy Jones – was a virtual unknown to the general public until his recent appearances on Ellen.
DeGeneres says she was impressed not only by Jones’ talent but by his perseverance, courage and optimism in the face of unimaginable adversity.
So she brought him on her show twice: once to tell his story, and a second time to receive the surprise of a lifetime:
“Here’s the thing that you mentioned last time, that you want to do a comedy special,” DeGeneres says to Jones in the clip above.
“So what you don’t know, we called the head of HBO. And your people didn’t even tell you this, but HBO is going to air your special.”
Jones’ reaction is one for the ages.
“I was hoping Netflix or Comedy Central,” the comic told People magazine in a recent interview. “HBO was like the Holy Grail.”
As for his illness, Jones remains confident that it can be beaten:
“I don’t think I’m going to die in a year. I can’t see myself withering away on August 6, 2016,’ ” he says.
“So, when I got out of the hospital, I did what I needed to do to fight the cancer, which is chemotherapy. Changing my diet. Like, there was almost a desperation for me to survive. And that’s what I did.
“There is no cancer when I’m on stage,” he adds.
Jones’ special, Burning the Light, premieres tonight at 10 p.m. EST on HBO.