Yard was born on
Saint Croix in the
United States Virgin Islands and raised in
Frederiksted. When he was 13 he moved with his family to
Brooklyn's
East New York neighborhood. He was incarcerated for
armed robbery, and discusses this in his comedy routines. He studied computer programming at
Hunter College, and later worked briefly as a
union representative, involved in organizing a strike at the
Museum of Modern Art, before first trying
standup comedy when he was 24. He became a well-known presence in the New York comedy circuit, touring actively and appearing on
ComicView,
Def Comedy Jam and
Comedy at the Apollo. On
The Nightly Show, he became known as one of the show's leading contributors, serving as a
comic "foil" to host
Larry Wilmore, and for his role in political skits such as his portrayal of a talking gun named "Hand Gun" and his recurring "Y Files" segments parodying
conspiracy theories. He also has his own podcast called
Yard Talk. ==Personal life==