Born on December 8, 1933, in Jersey City, New Jersey, comedian Flip Wilson grew up in foster homes. He served in the air force from 1950 to 1954. After leaving the air force, he worked as a bellhop and did stand-up acts at nightclubs.
During the 1960s, Wilson became a regular at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and was a favorite guest on The Tonight Show, Laugh-In, and The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1970, Wilson won a Grammy Award for his comedy album The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress.
In 1970, The Flip Wilson Show, debuted on NBC. Wilson played host to many black entertainers, including The Jackson Five and The Temptations. Wilson greeted all of his guests with the “Flip Wilson Handshake,”: four hand slaps, two elbow bumps finishing with two hip-bumps. George Carlin, along with Wilson, was one of the show’s writers and Carlin also made frequent appearances.
Wilson’s characters included Reverend Leroy, materialistic pastor of the “Church of What’s Happening Now”, and his most popular character, Geraldine Jones, always referring to boyfriend ‘Killer’ and whose line “The devil made me do it” became a national catchphrase.
The Flip Wilson Show aired through 1974, generating high ratings and popularity among viewers and winning strong critical acclaim, with an unprecedented eleven Emmy Award nominations during its run, winning two. Wilson also won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series.
In January 1972, Time magazine featured Wilson’s image on their cover and named him “TV’s first black superstar”