Aaron McGruder will forever be immortalized in the minds of many television watchers as a legend for his creation of the classic animated series, The Boondocks. An entertainment legend who deserves his flowers in the world of animation, Hollywood and beyond, McGruder imbued The Boondocks with a level of satire and comedic timing that raised the bar for other adult animation shows.

Here are 5 facts about Aaron McGruder:

1. McGruder began The Boondocks as a comic strip

Before The Boondocks was known as the animated show we know and love today, the series started out as a comic strip, courtesy of McGruder, who drew the comic. The Boondocks comic strip ran from 1996 to 2006 and was featured in magazines such as The Source 

2. He’s an alum of the University of Maryland

Perhaps where his commentary on Black culture and American politics originated, The University of Maryland was the collegiate institute in which Aaron McGruder procured a degree in African-American studies.

3. McGruder is a Jack of All Trades.

The Boondocks was the breathing ground for McGruder’s various talents as a creative. Not only did McGruder draw the comic strip, but he also served as the creator, executive producer and head writer for the famed animated series.

4. At one point, he was developing a series with Will Packer.

In 2017, S&A announced that McGruder was teaming up with another heavy-hitting producer. McGruder is teaming up with fellow mega-producer for Black America, an alternate history drama that will reportedly depict a “post-reparations America” where “newly freed African Americans have secured the Southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama post-Reconstruction as reparations for slavery, and with that land, the freedom to shape their own destiny. Since the announcement was first made, no other details have come out about the project, so it is likely that the series is no longer actively in development.

5. He co-wrote Red Tails.

Along with John Ridley, McGruder wrote the 2012 film Red Tails. Starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr, the film delved into the heroics of the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of Black military pilots and airmen who participated in World War II.

 

The Boondocks will be back soon in the form of a revival series that will air on HBO Max.