Hughley to host late-night talk show

Years of doing stand-up have earned D.L. Hughley the chance to sit down – as a talk-show host.

The comic, best known for “The Hughleys” and “The Original Kings of Comedy,” enters the late-night realm on Comedy Central this weekend with “Weekends at the D.L.”

Hughley, 42, a married father of three, says he hopes to get away from the familiar talk format, in which guests plug their latest project, and make the show a more freewheeling, fun discussion with a laid-back vibe. Initial guests include Sean Hayes, Lewis Black and Al Sharpton.

The half-hour show, which will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 p.m., also will feature musical guests.

But above all, Hughley says: “I’ll never forget that my job is to be funny. That’s my gig. …I’m a comedian, not an actor. You’d know that if you saw ‘Soul Plane.’ “

Still, Hughley, whose film credits also include “Scary Movie 3,” won’t be afraid to comment on serious matters, such as the media and law enforcement resources devoted to finding missing white women.

“I remember when I was watching the runaway bride,” he says. “Now this woman was missing for 30 minutes, like she was 30 minutes late, and they already had a posse together and a $100,000 reward.

“Meanwhile, there’s a black woman missing for a year in D.C. and ain’t nobody (looking).”