Wyatt Cenac

Wyatt Cenac

Cenac at the launch of Earth (The Book)
Born April 19, 1976
New York City, New York
Occupation Actor comedian, writer
Years active 1995–present
Website
www.wyattcenac.com

Wyatt Cenac (/ˈwaɪ.ət sɨˈnæk/; born April 19, 1976) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer.[1] He is a former correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, airing his last segment on December 13, 2012.[2]

Early life

Cenac was born in New York City.[3] He is of West Indian descent.[4][5][6] His father, a New York City cab driver, was shot and killed when he was 4,[7] when he moved with his mother and stepfather to Dallas, Texas. He attended high school in Texas at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.[8] While in elementary school, he became friends with comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan,[9] who also introduced him to comic books. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to Los Angeles to further his career. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.[10]

Career

Cenac at Pitchfork Music Festival, 2010

Having previously worked for three years as a writer and story editor on King of the Hill, Cenac garnered public attention in a The Doomed Planet comedy sketch in which he did an impression of then-senator Barack Obama, discussing possible campaign posters.[11] He was considered to become a cast member on Saturday Night Live in which he would have portrayed the Democratic presidential candidate, but was passed over in favor of long-time cast member Fred Armisen.

In June 2008, Cenac was hired as a correspondent and writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. After making several comedic appearances along with other correspondents, Cenac filed his first field report on July 21, 2008, concerning Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.[12] He continued to integrate satirical Black-oriented material in his Daily Show segments, including "Rapper or Republican"[13] until his final Daily Show appearance on December 13, 2012. In October 2009, he worked with rapper Slim Thug on the music video "Still a Boss", a parody of how the recession is affecting the rap community. Cenac costarred in Medicine for Melancholy, an independent drama by Barry Jenkins released in 2008 that includes issues of African American identity and gentrification in San Francisco.[14][15]

Cenac plays the voice of Lenny and Michael Johnson in the Nickelodeon animated series Fanboy and Chum Chum.[16]

Cenac guest-starred on the MC Frontalot album Solved.

Cenac's first hour-long comedy special, Comedy Person, premiered May 14, 2011, on Comedy Central.

In May 2014, Cenac sparked controversy during an appearance on This American Life by joking about the speech patterns of people with Down syndrome.[17]

In October 2014, Netflix released Cenac's second comedy special, "Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn".[18]

In 2014, he guest-starred in an episode of the Netflix series BoJack Horseman.

References

  1. ↑ PRNewswire (21 September 2009). "Comedy Central Wins Three Big Primetime Emmy Awards for Long-Time Favorites 'The Daily Show' and 'South Park". Reuters. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  2. ↑ Margaret Lyons (26 November 2012). "Wyatt Cenac Is Leaving The Daily Show". Vulture. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "About Wyatt Cenac". Comedy Central. 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Wyatt Cenac (13 May 2011). "Comedian Wyatt Cenac Drinks Mint Juleps, Is Sorry He Doesn't Eat More Vegetables". New York. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Jozen Cummings (14 May 2011). "Wyatt Cenac on Being Alternatively Black and Funny". Aol Black Voices. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Jim Farber (19 October 2014). "Comic Wyatt Cenac sends up a gentrified Brooklyn in new Netflix special and album". New York Daily News. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Andy Beta (20 October 2014). "Wyatt Cenac Skewers Brooklyn’s Preciousness in Netflix Comedy Special". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Robert Wilonsky (25 June 2008). "Tonight on The Daily Show, Jesuit Grad Wyatt Cenac Becomes Part of "The Best F*&#ing News Team Ever"". The Dallas Observer - Unfair Park. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Video on YouTube
  10. ↑ "Cast member Wyatt Cenac". The Daily Show. 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Wyatt Cenac; David Guy Levy (29 January 2007). Barack Obama: Campaign Posters (.SWF) (video). The Doomed Planet. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  12. ↑ Wyatt Cenac; Jeremy Ring (21 July 2008). Baruch Obama (VIDEO) (.swf). Comedy Central The Daily Show. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  13. ↑ Wyatt Cenac; Jon Stewart; Jason Jones (July 29, 2008). Rapper or Republican (VIDEO) (.swf). Comedy Central The Daily Show. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  14. ↑ Pam Grady (2007). "Medicine for Melancholy". San Francisco International Film Festival. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  15. ↑ A.O. Scott (2009). "A Short-Term Affair Leads to Big Questions". New York Times. Retrieved 22 Mar 2012.
  16. ↑ "Full cast and crew for Fanboy and Chum Chum (2009)". The Internet Movie Database. 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  17. ↑ David Perry (2014). "'Is Down Syndrome comedy fodder?'". CNN. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  18. ↑ Vikram Murthi (2014). "Wyatt Cenac’s sophomore special intimately explores a thoughtful mind". theavclub. Retrieved 7 November 2014.

External links

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