How did you get from Cleveland to Hollywood?
Jazz singer Nancy Wilson and her manager John Levy saw me do stand up in 1979. They invited me to go on tour as Nancy’s opening act and to move to Los Angeles. Initially I was actually afraid to take the leap. That same month I met Jay Leno in Chicago, where I was living at the time. I told him about the pending decision and he convinced me to make the big step.

How and why did The Arsenio Hall Show end?
The rumors are a lot more interesting than the reality. I simply woke up one day and realized I was no longer in love with what I was doing. And the landscape for success in syndication was going to change drastically when CBS inked their deal with David Letterman. So I wrote my letter of resignation to Kerry McCluggage at Paramount Television.

Do you miss the show?
I miss the show, but not “the business.” And in show business, the word ‘business’ is bigger than the word ‘show’.

If you could change anything about your career, what would it be?
I’d spend more time on stage doing stand-up.

How do you spend your leisure time?
I’m a single father, so my leisure time is spent reading children’s books with those gigantic words on the page, constantly driving all over Los Angeles to places I never thought I’d go, and answering questions... lots of questions!

Have you ever had any cosmetic surgery?
Please! If you look like me after surgery, you should sue! No, I never had cosmetic surgery, but I have absolutely nothing against it.

You’ve never been married?
No. I’ve never understood what the upside of marriage would be for me personally. I love being in a relationship, but marriage isn’t for me. Who knows what the future holds.

Can you tell us some things about you that we may not know?
I’m a neat freak! I hate to travel, I’m terribly impatient, and extremely reclusive.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?
The second biggest mistake I’ve ever made was turning down the movie “Bad Boys”. I can’t talk about my biggest mistake.

What kind of music do you like? What’s in your home CD player right now?
Mariah, JZ, B.I.G. DUETS, Johnny Gill’s Greatest Hits, and some CD’s I burned - ‘cause most CD’s suck in their entirety! The music industry is in a sad state.