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He's a college dropout.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Jan 04, 2019
On January 1st, Netflix released a series called Comedians of the World, featuring 47 comics from 13 areas around the globe, including Canada, Germany, the Middle East, Brazil, and, of course, the United States. It will air in eight different languages and comes in 30-minute episodes, where comedians give their own unique take on what life is like in their part of the world.
And one of the comics featured is none other than Chris D’Elia, whom you might know from Vine or from one of his comedy specials. But aside from his hysterical take on everyday scenarios and the drunk girls you find at the bar, we’re curious: just who is Chris D'Elia? Here are 6 things to know about the comic.
1. He dropped out of college.
Though D’Elia attended New York University to study acting, he dropped out after just one year, saying he didn’t like college. Well, I guess it’s not for everyone?
2. He’s an actor.
He began acting in high school, and later attended college. One of his first roles was on Chicago Hope, and a movie that went straight to DVD. But he’s perhaps most known for his role as Alex Miller on Whitney, in which he co-starred with comedienne Whitney Cummings. He also appeared on Undateable, and on The Good Doctor.
3. He eventually went to stand-up full-time.
D’Elia decided he would do stand-up and began when he was 25 years old. He’s been performing since 2006 and has been featured in a number of specials, including Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Comedy Central Presents, and Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy. He also had a one-hour stand-up special on Comedy Central called White Male Black Comic, which his father directed.
4. He also does podcasts.
From 2012 to 2015, he co-hosted the Ten Minute Podcast with Bryan Callen and Will Sasso. But since early 2017, he’s hosted the weekly podcast Congratulations with Chris D'Elia.
5. He was married.
D'Elia was married to actress Emily Montague from 2006 to 2010, when they divorced.
6. He’s never done drugs or alcohol.
According to an interview with Whitney Cummings, she confirmed that even though his character on Whitney is an alcoholic, the comic has never done drugs or drank alcohol.
She said:
“Everyone’s obsessed with Drunk Alex! And you want to know the funny thing? Chris D’Elia, the actor, has never been drunk in his life. He’s never done a drug or drank alcohol in his entire life – which kinda makes sense, because if you’re not drinking, you can actually observe drunk people. Can you believe that? Never had a drop of alcohol. It’s kind of a little bit tricky, because I want to do more Drunk Alex but my mom character on the show is an alcoholic, Roxanne’s kind of an alcoholic. So if Chris starts drinking too much, the show is basically going to turn into Intervention.”
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.