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Phoenix, AZ - When your grandfather is a living comedy legend, fame and notoriety naturally run in the family. Such is the case with
Adonis Gladney, the grandson of the celebrated comedian
Paul Mooney. Gladney, alongside his new bride,
Erica
Gladney, recently wed on national TV sharing their wedding vows in a beautiful ceremony. Mooney was unable to attend the wedding but gave the couple his blessings prior to their nuptials.
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New bride
Erica Gladney, comic legend
Paul Mooney, groom and grandson,
Adonis Gladney
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Mooney is particularly pleased about his first-born grandson's new slate in life. The young couple's relationship went through an initial bout of turmoil during the course of their six-year romance. Adonis was sent away in 2009 to serve a 13-month Federal prison stint for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act after Federal authorities accused him of selling counterfeit computer software.
Adonis, who was 24 at the time, is believed to be the first person convicted for DMCA violations dealing with the circumvention of security protections on software. Following his arrest, officials seized $74,038 and two custom-built Lamborghinis from the young computer geek, who had accumulated over three million dollars in profit. Erica stayed by her man's side through the ordeal and the two have continued to prosper.
Says Mooney, "My grandson didn't follow my passion for comedy, but sadly, in the grand scheme of things, the joke ended up on him when he was arrested and sentenced. It warms my heart to know that all of that is behind him now."
Adonis' grandfather, Paul Mooney, is currently on tour with another comedy legend,
Dick Gregory. Mooney has written material for
Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and
Dave Chappelle to name a few. Recognized as the comedic force behind some of Pryor's best bits, Mooney is also the creator of the classic characters Homey D. Clown for
In Living Color and Negrodamus for
Chappelle's Show.
Watch Adonis and Erica Gladney on
Bravo's "Newlyweds: The First Year" on
Wednesday nights at 10:00 pm ET/PT.
Interact personally with the couple on Facebook at
Adonis and Erica ; on Twitter at @AdonisGladney and @EricaJohns88; and on Instagram at @AdonisGladney and @EricaGladney88.
NOTE TO MEDIA: For interviews with Adonis and Erica, contact jazzmynepr@gmail.com.
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