Stand-up comedian Erik Griffin is expanding his brand in the genre by spearheading his own comedy special called The Ugly Truth, airing exclusively on Showtime. 

The comic spoke with BET.com about the new venture and also touched on where his boundaries lie with his material.

Why is the special titled The Ugly Truth?
Most of the time the truth is ugly and in your face! My observational brand of humor is very much all in your face!

Who are your comedy inspirations?
My inspiration to do comedy came from many places. Saturday mornings I would watch Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis movies. I later got into watching stand-ups like Eddie Murphy, who was my main inspiration. He is the guy that I watched and said to myself, “I want to do that.” Martin Lawrence’s Talking S**t album is the first comedy album I ever bought. Then people like Carlin, Sinbad, the first season of Def Comedy Jam, all pushed me towards what I am doing now.

So many comedians get in trouble for going "too far." In your comedy, what is too far for you?
Too far is based on the environment where you are doing your comedy. As my character on I'm Dying Up Here says, “know your audience.” I don’t believe anything is truly off limits, but as a performer, one has to know that people might be offended, and there are consequences.

For a young person who wants to be in comedy, what advice do you have for them?
People don’t fail in this business, they quit! Keep on going 'till you know you have done all you can, give it your best, until you are satisfied.

Why should the BET.com audience watch The Ugly Truth?
Because it’s raw and funny. The Ugly Truth isn’t trying to change the world with strong political opinions, it’s just trying to entertain you with thoughts and ideas from my crazy mind! Enjoy!

Watch the trailer for The Ugly Truth, below:

You can catch Erik Griffin in his new stand-up comedy special, The Ugly Truth, premiering Friday, July 7 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), and starring in the drama series I'm Dying Up Here, from executive producer Jim Carrey, airing Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on Showtime.