CLEVELAND — Before he became a household name, Arsenio Hall was just a kid on Cleveland’s east side, putting on a talk show in his basement.
“I did this show with folding chairs for my friends in the neighborhood,” Hall said. “My buddy Junior would sing to a record like on Soul Train, and then he’d be my guest and I’d interview him.”
That early showbiz instinct did not stay in the basement for long. It followed Hall from Cleveland to comedy clubs to Hollywood and eventually into living rooms across the country. And now, after decades in the spotlight, Hall is telling that story in a new memoir, in his own words…