D.C. Young Fly

John Richard Whitfield, known professionally as D.C. Young Fly, is an American comedian, host, singer, and actor. Commencing his acting career in 2014, he garnered prominence as a recurring cast member on the improv comedy series Wild 'n Out. He appeared on DigitalLivesMatter. Whitfield assumed the starring role of Spooky in Outlaw Posse.

Early life

John Whitfield was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, specifically within the city's West Side locale. His maternal parent was an educator at the middle school level. He pursued his secondary education at Benjamin E. Mays High School.

Career

20122017

Whitfield commenced his career in the entertainment industry as a comedian and thespian. In 2012, Whitfield hosted Gotham Comedy Live in New York City, with Jay Nog, Atheer Yacoub, and Fransisco Ramos in a special edition of the show. In 2015, Whitfield became a recurring cast member on the MTV improv comedy series Wild 'n Out, hosted by comedian Nick Cannon. Although this season debuted with a double bill on June 10, 2015, featuring Kevin Hart and Rae Sremmurd, it concluded its initial run with Shaquille O'Neal and Migos on August 19, 2015.
In 2015, D.C, along with his Wild n’ Out co-stars, Karlous Miller and Chico Bean, started their own podcast, called The 85 South Show, where they speak on various topics, interact with the audience, and freestyle on songs. Whitfield made an appearance as Latavious in an episode of the television series Scream. In August 2016, he secured a leading role in Terri J. Vaughn's #DigitalLivesMatter. That same year, he transitioned to the silver screen, making his cinematic debut as Eric in the film Almost Christmas. This project afforded him the opportunity to share the screen with actors Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, Omar Epps, and Gabrielle Union. Whitfield made an appearance in My Cousin's Ghetto Wedding.
In 2017, Whitfield appeared in several notable projects. He starred in the critically acclaimed miniseries The [New Edition Story] in January, which received generally positive reviews. He subsequently appeared in BET's The Quad in February, playing the role of Young Rapper. Whitfield made a guest appearance in Dirty South House Arrest the same month. In March, Whitfield served as an opening act for Chris Brown's Party Tour (Chris Brown)|Party Tour]. Whitfield made appearances on the American television series Hip Hop Squares and Tales, portraying Lil Joe in the latter's June episode. From 2017 to 2019, Whitfield became a main host for the revived TRL on MTV.

2018present

In 2018, Whitfield appeared in the American teen comedy-drama TV series Grown-ish, a spin-off of the ABC series Black-ish. He played the role of Rafael in two episodes. It was announced he would star alongside Lil Yachty in How High 2, premiering on MTV on April 20, 2019. Whitfield filmed two movies: She Ball with Nick Cannon and I Got the Hook Up 2 with Master P, released on July 12, 2019.
In 2019, he co-hosted the 2019 BET Social Awards with Jess Hilarious. Whitfield joined Eric Bellinger's Cuffing Season Tour as an opening act in December. In 2020, Whitfield became a judge on the internet game show Floored. Whitfield hosted the 2020 [BET Hip Hop Awards|2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards] alongside Chico Bean and Karlous Miller in October.
In 2021, Whitfield appeared in films For the Love of Money, Seven [Deadly Sins (film series)|Envy: Seven Deadly Sins], Miracles Across 125th Street, and in the Starz TV show BMF. In 2022, Whitfield starred in the 2023 remake of House Party, released on January 13, 2023. In 2023, Whitfield was announced as the host of Celebrity Squares, a revival of Hollywood Squares on VH1.
Whitfield portrayed the character Rooster in the cinematic production Bosco, which debuted on 2 February 2024. Whitfield assumed the role of Spooky in the Quiver Distribution film Outlaw Posse, released on 1 March 2024.

Personal life

Whitfield was in a relationship with Jacklyn Smith, a former Wild 'n Out girl, with whom he had three children. Smith died on May 31, 2023 from complications following a surgery.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	DigitalLivesMatter	Himself
2016	Hollywood Hearts	Wonder	TV movie
2016	Almost Christmas	Eric
2017	Dirty South House Arrest	Fly
2018	Armed	G Money
2019	The Trap	Goo
2019	How High 2	Calvin	TV movie
2019	I Got the Hook Up 2	Spyda
2019	Trae Tha Movie	–
2020	2 Minutes of Fame	Jethro
2020	She Ball	Down South
2021	Envy: A Seven Deadly Sins Story	–	TV movie
2021	For [the Love of Money (2021 film)\|For the Love of Money]	Bobby
2021	Miracles Across 125th Street	Money Gone Maxwell	TV movie
2023	House Party	Vic
2023	Pretty Stoned	Himself	TV movie
2023	Da 'Partments	Astez
2023	Candy Cane Lane	Josh
2024	Bosco	Rooster
2024	Outlaw Posse	Spooky

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2015–	Wild 'n Out	Himself	Main Cast: Season 7-
2016	Wild 'n On Tour	Himself	Main Cast
2016	Family Feud	Himself/Contestant	Episode: "Episode #18.51"
2017	Gotham Comedy Live	Himself/Host	Episode: "DC Young Fly"
2017	The New Edition Story	Barber	Episode: "Part 3"
2017	The Quad	Young Rapper	Episode: "Pilot"
2017	Mann & Wife	King Dookie	Episode: "Dead Mann Walking"
2017	Tales	Lil Joe	Episode: "A Story to Tell"
2017	In the Cut	Thug Leader	Episode: "The Hustle"
2017	Dead House	Dead Ass	Main Cast
2017–19	Hip Hop Squares	Himself/Panelist	Recurring Panelist: Season 3–6
2018	Black Card Revoked	Himself	Episode: "DC Young Fly, Billy Sorrells, Jess Hilarious"
2018	Rel	Jaymo	Recurring Cast
2019	Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta	Himself/Host	Episode: "Love & Hip Hop Awards: Most Certified"
2019	The Family Business	Mack	Episode: "Mexican Stand Off"
2019	Scream	Latavious	Episode: "Devil's Night"
2019	Grown-ish	Rafael	Recurring Cast: Season 2
2019	The Grid	Slim	Episode: "All Night"
2020	Floored	Himself/Guest Judge	Episode: "Hip Hop Ball Drop"
2020	American Soul	Sly Stone	Episode: "Lovely Day"
2020–21	BET Hip Hop Awards	Himself/Co-Host	Main Co-Host
2021–23	BMF	Saint	Guest Cast: Season 1–2
2022	The Real	Himself/Guest Co-Host	Episode: "Men of Comedy Week – Day 4"
2022	Phat Tuesdays: The Era Of Hip Hop Comedy	Himself	Main Guest
2022	The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder	Man-Man	Episode: "Old Towne Road: Part 1"
2023	See It Loud: The History of Black Television	Himself	Episode: "Laughing Out Loud"
2023	Celebrity Squares	Himself/Host	Main Host