Chris Distefano has learned, developed, and almost perfected the art of cracking up a rib or two. The American comedian cum actor took the path less traveled, leaving a seemingly lucrative job to do something almost considered irrational.
From juggling his work as a physical therapist to finally deciding to be a clown, he has become established in the comic industry and performs almost at all the major clubs across the country with an impressive resume to his record.
Age, Early Life, and Rise to Fame
Chris Distefano was born on the 26th day of August 1984 in Brooklyn, New York, the United States. He was raised in an Italian-Irish Catholic family as an only child of his parents. While he was growing up, Chris always wanted to follow a career path wherein he can make people happy. As a kid, he was a huge Jim Carrey fan and would always impersonate him. Thus, comedy became his passion.
He attended St. Joseph’s College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology and later a doctorate in physical therapy from the New York Institute of Technology. Despite his academic qualifications and the happiness he had helping kids as a therapist, he knew his dream still lies in comedy. Eventually, he abandoned his already established profession to live his dream as a comedian.
Chris Distefano Career
Distefano started off by writing short comedy scripts and performing the same at the local comedy club. To further hone his skills, he took a weekly comedy class at Gotham Comedy Club in 2008 and in 2009, had his first open mic. Following that, he hosted a number of events including the 2010 Fencing Masters on the SNY network, Elite 8 of 2011, and the 2012 March Madness Comedy Competition at the comedy club Carolines on Broadway. Also, in 2011, he was selected as a finalist in the NY Comedy Festival and performed on the Comedy Central show, Comics to Watch in 2012.
Then, he was hired by MTV and has featured on a number of their Tv shows including Guy Code and Girl Code, Ain’t That America, Charlamagne & Friends. Since then, he has not looked back but has consistently stepped up his game.
Chris Distefano was the star performer at the Carolines’ Breakout Artist Series and also headlined his first national U.S. tour in September 2015 with Monster Energy Outbreak Presents. Chris has been a regular guest on the radio show, Opie, with Jim Norton and has a long-time association with Sirius XM radio.
Growing in leaps and bounds, he has presented, co-hosted, and delivered numerous acts. He presented a 90-minute act at the 2013 comic convention, Comic-Con held in San Diego, California, co-hosted the Ultimate Beastmaster on Netflix and the MSG TV show, The Bracket. Chris has also partnered with famous comics in the course of his career including Seth Meyers and David Letterman.
As an actor, you’d find him in the IFC series, Benders as well as his web series, The Bay Ridge Boys. Moreover, he has a weekly show on Comedy Central, Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano where he’s hosts different celebrities on each episode. The show premiered in June 2018. Besides acting, he’s a co-executive producer of the Sony/CBS TV pilot based on his life and titled, Distefano. The work was written by the creators of the series, How I Met Your Mother – Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
Chris Distefano Wife/Girlfriend and Daughter
He dated fellow comedian, Carly Aquilino for four years before calling it quits in 2014. They met in 2010 while auditioning for Girl Code and appeared together on the set thereafter. While they lasted, they had many couple goal moments most of which were documented on their social media. Carly later dated SNL’s, Pete Davidson.
Shortly after their separation, speculations went rife on Chris’s sexuality after he shared a tweet in November 2014 thanking all gay men that made him feel special. He, however, quelled the gay rumors months later when he got married to Jazzy, a Zumba instructor in February 2015. That notwithstanding, Chris is a proud supporter of the LGBT community.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Delilah on May 20, 2015.
He is happy to be a family man and feels fortunate and grateful to his family. His stand-up routines usually focus on his family life and personal experiences rather than politics or the economy.
Facts about the Comedian
1. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall.
2. Chris was one of two American announcers on Netflix’s Ultimate Beastmaster for Season 2 released on the streaming service on December 15, 2017.
3. He hosted the sports talk show, Off the Bat from the MLB Fan Cave in 2014.
4. Chris Distefano has performed his act outside the shores of the US. In 2013, he was a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.