Last week, Ellen DeGeneres had aspiring comedian Quincy Jones on her show to talk about his dreams, and now, just a few days later, she's made those dreams come true.
Jones, 32, was diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma cancer last summer and was told he only had one year to live. While he doesn't believe that's what's going to happen, he's still has one dying wish: to star in his very own stand-up special. The special had been already been booked thanks to his friends, who started a Kickstarter campaign in his honor, but DeGeneres took things one step further.
"Here's the thing that you mentioned last time, you want to do a comedy special," the host said on Monday's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "That's really important for you to do a comedy special...So what you don't know [is that] we called the head of HBO. And your people didn't even tell you this, but HBO is going to air your special."
Comedian Quincy Jones’ dream came true today and no one is happier about it than I am.
A photo posted by Ellen (@theellenshow) on Mar 21, 2016 at 6:02am PDT
Jones could barely contain his excitement and couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"You're lying," he said. "Are you serious? Are you?"
"All the negotiations have been happening, your people know that, but they kept it from you because we wanted to surprise you," DeGeneres happily explained.
"That's the best surprise," Jones said with the biggest smile on his face. "Thank you so much."
Since his first appearance on the show, DeGeneres has donated a total of $25,000 to Jones, with the help of Shutterfly, so he can fund his upcoming special. His Kickstarter campaign had a goal of raising $4,985, but thanks to his appearance on "Ellen" and his loving fans, the page has successfully raised $50,273.
Comedian Quincy Jones was diagnosed with incurable cancer & wants to leave a legacy of laughter. A photo posted by Ellen (@theellenshow) on Mar 15, 2016 at 12:51pm PDT
Jones' special will take place on April 4 at the Teregram Ballroom in Los Angeles and HBO will reportedly air the special sometime later in the spring. Jones' friend Mickey Blaine will direct the special and Jones, Blaine, and his comedian wife Nicole Blaine will be among the executive producers.
Watch the heartwarming video below!
