Former American Actor, Cast Of UPN/ABC Sitcom 'The Hughleys'

Dee Jay Daniels | Biography

Daniels is now a Rapper and Musician

• By Ashna Tamrakar
• Update : October 12, 2021

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Dee Jay Daniels is a former American actor best recognized for his role as Michael Hughley on the D. L. Hughley sitcom, ‘The Hughleys.’

Who Is Dee Jay Daniels?

Dee Jay Daniels is a former actor. He started his professional acting career in 1996, appearing in the NBC series In The House. Two years later, he got his career-defining role of Michael Hughley in the UPN/ABC sitcom, The Hughleys.

He also appeared in several other shows, including Coach, The Wayans Bros., Grace Under Fire, and Cold Case. Daniels also had a supporting role as Ethan in the 2005 Disney film Sky High.

Currently, he is pursuing a career in music and has started rapping, leaving his acting days behind.

Early Age & Family 

Dee Jay Daniels was born Dorjan Lyndell Daniels on 17 October 1988. He was born in Montclair, California, into an African American family. His parents pushed him into acting at a young age, beginning with a Honey Nut Cheerios commercial. 

Career

Daniels started his on-screen career in 1996 in the television series In The House with LL Cool J. He played the role of Rodney and appeared in seven episodes of the NBC sitcom. In the same year, he was cast as a supporting character of a boy in Grace Under Fire. The following year, Daniels appeared as Billy in the television series Coach and Brian in Family Matters. 

In 1998, he secured his breakthrough role as Michael Hughley on the D. L. Hughley sitcom, The Hughleys. That year, Daniels also featured as Young Marlon in The WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. 

Throughout the early 2000s, he had minor roles in several other television shows, including ER, Grace Under Fire, Men Behaving Badly, and Cold Case. Daniels also had a supporting role as Ethan in the 2005 Disney film Sky High.

‘The Hughleys’

The Hughleys is a sitcom that aired for four seasons. It ran on ABC from 22 September 1998 to 28 April 2000 and on UPN from 11 September 2000 to 20 May 2002. The black comedy series starred D. L. Hughley as Darryl Hughley as the main character and Elise Neal as Yvonne as his hardworking wife. The plot revolves around the couple as they relocate their family from the inner city to the suburbs of Los Angeles. 

His Role

Daniels played the role of Micheal Hughley, the youngest child of Darryl Hughley and Yvonne. He appeared in 89 episodes of the sitcom from 1998 to 2002. For four seasons, Daniels was one of the show’s key characters, and he was even nominated for three ‘Young Artist Awards’ for his performance.

Face Tattoos

Daniels has his entire face covered with tattoos. He began doing it when he was 19 years old, believing that his acting career had ended. During that time, Daniels was frustrated because he could not get acting jobs, and his agents had turned against him. 

Daniels says he was another victim of Hollywood typecasting because he invested four years of his career playing the kid in The Hughleys. As a result, he couldn’t get any prominent adult roles after the show ended in 2002. 

What is Dee Jay Daniels Doing Now?

Daniels is now a rapper and musician. In 2020, The Shade Room shared videos of Daniels on its social media page. The post also showed a comparison of photos of him as a child versus now. “Dee Jay Daniels is seemingly pursuing a rap career as he shares his music on his social media platforms. Would y’all be here for his return to TV?” The Shade Room captioned the post.”

Moreover, Daniels also has a YouTube channel under the name of Boi Truth, where he uploads his rap music. The channel has nearly 1000 subscribers as of October 2021. His uploads include videos like ‘Boi Truth Sacrifice 2,’ ‘Twinn Boi and Kid stink ft. Boi Truth - Yired,’ and ‘Dream Teem All $tarz - IM TOO AKTIVE ft. Promize Land.’

What is the Net Worth of Dee Jay Daniels?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Daniels has an estimated net worth of $300,000 as of October 2021.

Arrested & Murder Charges 

In August 2011, a fight flared up between Daniels and some of his friends at a bar in Stockton, California. Unfortunately, JJ Lewis, 26, was killed, and Daniels and two of his friends were arrested. Daniels was 22 at the time.

Daniels did not learn about Lewis’ death until the authorities probed him despite his involvement in the altercation. He was convinced they had arrested the wrong person the entire time.

Daniels was eventually charged with premeditated murder, gang participation, and a variety of other offenses. Nevertheless, he thought what was happening to him was “normal,” despite being young and could have spent the rest of his life in jail. “Growing up, a lot of my relatives went to jail. […] It was a family thing. That’s why my dad moved us out of Compton, to get me a better life,” he elaborated.

During his trial, his former co-star DL Hughley was an outspoken supporter of Daniels, even testifying as a character witness for him. However, DL Hughley’s former affiliation with the Bloods group, on the other hand, was a roadblock. Hughley, a “Blood,” was assumed to be sticking up for “another Blood” because officials were trying to show Daniels was also a member of that group.

Eventually, in December 2012, Daniels was declared not guilty following a two-month trial.