Mooney became a ringmaster with the Gatti-Charles Circus. During his stint as ringmaster, he always found himself writing comedy and telling jokes, which would later help Mooney land his first professional work as a writer for Richard Pryor.

Mooney wrote some of Richard Pryor's routines for his appearance on Saturday Night Live, co-wrote his material for the Live on the Sunset Strip, Bicentennial Nigger, and Is It Something I Said albums, and Pryor's film Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling. As the head writer for The Richard Pryor Show, he gave many young stand-up comics, such as Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, Marsha Warfield, John Witherspoon, and Tim Reid, their first break into show business.

Mooney also wrote for Redd Foxx's Sanford and Son, Good Times, acted in several cult classics including Which Way Is Up?, Bustin' Loose, Hollywood Shuffle, and portrayed singer/songwriter Sam Cooke in The Buddy Holly Story.

He was the head writer for the first year of Fox's In Living Color, creating the character Homey D. Clown, played by Damon Wayans. Mooney later went on to play Wayans' father in the Spike Lee film Bamboozled as the comedian Junebug.

Paul Mooney initially appeared in the sketches "Ask a Black Dude" and "Mooney at the Movies" on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show. He later appeared as Negrodamus, an African American version of Nostradamus. As Negrodamus, Mooney ad-libbed the "answers to life's most unsolvable mysteries" such as "Why do white people love Wayne Brady?" (Answer: "Because Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.") Mooney was planning to reprise his role as Negrodamus in the third season of the Chappelle's Show, before it was canceled.

In 2006, Paul Mooney hosted the BET tribute to Black History Month titled 25 Most @#%! Moments in Black History. In this show, he narrated some of the most shameful incidents involving African Americans since 1980. The top 25 moments included incidents involving Marion Barry, Terrell Owens, Wilson Goode, Michael Jackson, Flavor Flav, Whitney Houston, and Tupac Shakur amongst others.

Controversies

Much of Mooney's material is based on the subject of racism in the United States which disturbs some audience members. Such incidents can be heard on Mooney's comedy albums Race and Master Piece and seen in his DVD Know Your History: Jesus Is Black; So Was Cleopatra. Other controversies include a segment in the 2005 BET Comedy Awards, Mooney's 2006 Showtime at the Apollo performance, and his former use of the n-word.

"The N-Word"

On November 26, 2006, Mooney appeared on CNN and talked about how he would stop using the word "nigga" due to Michael Richards' outbursts on stage at The Laugh Factory. He referred to Richards as having become "his Dr. Phil" and "cured" him of the use of the epithet. Mooney also said, "We're gonna stop using the n-word. I'm gonna stop using it. I'm not gonna use it again and I'm not gonna use the b-word. And we're gonna put an end to the n-word. Just say no to the n-word. We want all human beings throughout the world to stop using the n-word." On November 30, he elaborated upon these remarks as a guest of Farai Chideya on the National Public Radio program News & Notes. He declared that he would convene a conference on this controversial subject in the near future, as well as perform his first "n-free" comedy in the upcoming days.

That show, which he performed at the Lincoln Theater following a set by Dick Gregory, took place on December 2, 2006. Mooney almost made it through his entire set—about an hour of jokes—before he mistakenly used the word in a routine on O.J. Simpson. He ran off stage covering his face in his hands, and walked back on a few moments later saying, "I'm really going to get it now. This is probably already on the Internet." On the BET special 25 Events that Mis-Shaped Black America, Mooney reiterated that he was no longer using the word. He was quoted as saying, "I am no longer going to use the n-word. Instead of saying 'What's up my nigga,' say 'What's up my Michael Richards.'" At a summit with Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Richards, Mooney forgave Michael.

Television

• Chappelle's Show (2003), writer, actor as himself/Negrodamus
• The Larry Sanders Show (1995), actor
• In Living Color (1990), writer
• Pryor's Place (1984), writer
• The Richard Pryor Show (1977), writer, actor as himself
• Saturday Night Live (1975), writer
• Good Times (1974), writer
• Sanford and Son (1972), writer

Filmography

• It's the End of the World (2010), himself
• Good Hair (2009), himself
• Homie Spumoni (2007), George (father)
• Know Your History: Jesus Is Black; So Was Cleopatra (2006), himself
• Analyzing White America (2004), himself
• The N-Word (2004) (documentary), himself
• Bitter Jester (2003) (documentary), himself
• DysFunktional Family (2003), consultant
• The Ketchup King (2002), actor as Padro Buyers
• Call Me Claus (2001), writer
• The Old Settler (2001), actor as man at counter
• Bamboozled (2000), actor as Junebug
• High Freakquency (1998), actor as Love Doctor
• In the Army Now (1994), actor as Lt. Col. Peter Hume
• The Legend of Dolemite (1994) (documentary), himself
• Hollywood Shuffle (1987), actor as President of NAACP
• Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986), writer
• Brewster's Millions (1985), production consultant
• Bustin' Loose (1981), actor as Marvin
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (1979), actor as Mr. Freeman
• The Buddy Holly Story (1978), actor as Sam Cooke
• Which Way Is Up? (1977), actor as inspector
• F.T.A. (1972) (documentary), himself
• Carter's Army (1970), actor as soldier (uncredited)

[(StepSun Music/Tommy Boy, 1993) CD

• Master Piece (StepSun Music, 1994) CD
• Analyzing White America (SHOUT! Factory/Sony Music Video, 2004) DVD
• Know Your History: Jesus Is Black; So Was Cleopatra (QD3 Entertainment, 2006) DVD
• It's the End of the World (2010) DVD
• Shaquille O' Neal's All Star Comedy Jam (2010) TV

Books

Black Is The New White; 2009 (Foreword by Dave Chappelle)