Quick Info→
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Age: 49 Years
Wife: Makeda Rashidi
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Darrin Lawrence Bell |
| Profession(s) | • Cartoonist • Graphic Novelist |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5'8" (173 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Light Blue |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Pepper |
| Career | |
| Awards, Honours | • Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Editorial Cartooning (2015) • Daily Californian Alumni of the Year Award by the University of California, Berkeley (2015) • SPJ Mark of Excellence Award • Clifford K. & James T. Berryman Award for Editorial Cartoons (2016)  • Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning (2019)  • Inducted in The Daily Californian Hall of Fame (2024) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 27 January 1975 (Monday) |
| Age (as of 2024) | 49 Years |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | Los Angeles, California |
| College/University | • Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (2012) • University of California, Berkeley (1993-1999) |
| Educational Qualification | • A degree in storyboarding from the Otis College of Art and Design • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Political Science and Government from the University of California |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Controversies | • Protests against his 9-11 editorial cartoon In September 2001, he published a cartoon in the student newspaper of the University of California, Berkeley which displayed two men in turbans and long beards with a flight manual and one man saying to the other, "We made it to paradise! Now we will meet Allah, and be fed grapes, and be serviced by 70 virgin women, and . . ." The students of the University of California protested against the cartoon calling it Islamophobic and promoting hate crimes. Darrin Bell, in an interview, denied the allegations and claimed that the two figures were caricatures of Osama bin Laden. He further claimed that the cartoon was targeted against the people responsible for 5000 deaths and their distorted view of Islam. • Arrested for child pornography He was arrested on 15 January 2025 after the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office found 134 child pornographic videos related to an account which was owned and controlled by Darrin Bell. As a result of his arrest, he was suspended by The Washington Post and the Counterpoint Media's daily newsletter. |
| Social Media | • Instagram • YouTube |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Makeda Rashidi  |
| Marriage Date | Year, 2014 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Makeda Rashidi  |
| Children | Son(s)- 2 • Emyree Zazu Roscoe Bell (Born on 11 September 2013) • Ember Zahir Bell Daughter- 1 • Ehani Zia Bell  |
| Parents | Mother- Karen Kleinman (Teacher)  |
| Siblings | Brother- 1 |
| Favourites | |
| TV Show | Babylon 5 (1994-1998), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) |
He started drawing when he was three years old.
When he was 5 years old, he was inspired by American political cartoonist, Paul Conrad and his work on the hostage crisis in Iran at the time.
He considers American politician Pat Buchanan as his inspiration to pursue journalism and join his school’s newspaper team.
In 1993, he created the comic strip, ‘Lemont Brown’ as a class project for his school and continued publishing it in his college. The comic strip’s name was a tribute to the cartoon character ‘Charlie Brown’ and the American sitcom, ‘Sanford and Son’ (1972-1977).
In 1995, he began working as a freelance editorial cartoonist.
He created the comic strip, ‘Rudy Park’ in 1997 along with journalist Theron Heir. The series continued to be published till 2018.
He quit political drawings for over a decade after he received a phone call from a Sikh woman who complained to him about his post-9/11 cartoon depicting two men with turbans and stated that the cartoon made her son a target of hatred.
He has authored several books including, ‘Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired’ (2003), ‘Another Stereotype Bites the Dust: A Candorville Collection’ (2006), and ‘The Starbucks at the End of the World: The 4th Candorville Collection.’
The Starbucks at the End of the World: The 4th Candorville Collection
In 2003, his comic strip, ‘Candorville’ was launched by The Washington Post Writers Group. The comic strip was created out of his previous strip, ‘Lemont Brown.’
In 2006, he joined The Sacramento Bee’s Equity Lab and started working as a reporter for issues related to the African American community.
He is the first African American to have nationally syndicated two comic strips, ‘Rudy Park’ (syndicated in 2001) and ‘Candorville’ (syndicated in 2003).
He worked as a storyboard artist in Los Angeles from April 2012 to September 2022 and created storyboards for films, television, commercials, and presentations.
In 2017, he relocated from Los Angeles to Sacramento with his family.
He is the only black cartoonist to win the Pulitzer Prize.
In 2023, he wrote a graphic novel memoir, ‘The Talk’ after his son, Emyree Zazu Roscoe Bell asked about the murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020. The book talks about the discrimination he has faced throughout his life.
Cover of the book, The Talk
After his arrest on 15 January 2025 for his collection of child pornographic videos, he became the first person to be charged under California’s law that criminalises AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
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Rudy Park was syndicated in 2001 and Candorville in 2003, making Darrin Bell the first African American to have nationally syndicated two comic strips.
Yes—he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 2019, making him the only Black cartoonist to receive the award.
In 2023 he published The Talk, a graphic novel memoir addressing the discrimination he has faced, inspired by his son’s question about George Floyd's murder in 2020.
He paused political drawings for more than ten years following the protest from a Sikh woman about his post-9/11 cartoon.
He was arrested after 134 child pornographic videos were found on an account he controlled, and as a result was suspended by The Washington Post and Counterpoint Media's daily newsletter.