Wyatt Cenac
Writer, actor, comedian Wyatt Cenac was born in New York, April 19, 1976, but raised in Dallas, Texas. His comic sensibilities were formed watching "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992) and he began performing stand-up while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After three seasons writing on "King of the Hill" (Fox, 1997-2010), Cenac became a writer and correspondent for "The Daily Show" (Comedy Central, 1996-). After his time on "The Daily Show," Cenac continued to write and perform both stand up and on television. After his father, a New York City cab driver, was murdered in a robbery attempt, Cenac's mother moved the family to Dallas. Although raised in Dallas, Cenac spent a good amount of time in New York City visiting relatives when he was growing up. He attended high school at the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, before heading to UNC Chapel Hill. He had his first stand-up sets at Goodnights Comedy Club in nearby Raleigh. Cenac spent some time in the trenches before his break. He was a writer on "King of the Hill" for three seasons, and acted in a number of short films and unsuccessful pilots. One of the pilots was the notorious 2008 HBO pilot that starred Kanye West in a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 2000-) improv comedy style show. Also in 2008, Cenac was considered for a role on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975-), primarily so he could play then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, but the role ultimately went to SNL veteran Fred Armisen. In 2008, Cenac also began one of the most productive collaborations of his career as a writer and correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." His first piece as correspondent was a studio bit with host Jon Stewart. Cenac, ostensibly a political correspondent, was completely bored by the 2008 Democratic primary season because it wasn't nearly as exciting as "Lost" (ABC, 2004-2010). Here, Cenac was free to hone and craft his political rhetoric and his laid-back non-confrontational style. Many of Cenac's pieces slyly reveal the inherent racism in the subjects he's interviewing as well as highlighting the stresses that gentrification can put on minority communities. As a member of "The Daily Show" writing staff, Cenac won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing - Variety Series, in 2009, 2011, and 2012. After 2011, Cenac left "The Daily Show," although he did come back for a few episodes. Instead, Cenac focused on his stand-up and made appearances in a handful of TV shows and films. Cenac hosted the long-running stand-up comedy show "Night Train" at Littlefield in Brooklyn. 2011 saw the release of Cenac's first comedy special, "Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person." The show aired on Comedy Central, gaining a big boost from Cenac's built-in audience at the network. In 2012, he appeared in Mike Birbiglia's film "Sleepwalk With Me", and in 2014 appeared in Marc Maron's TV show "Maron" (IFC, 2013-16) and lent his voice to the animated series "Bojack Horseman" (Netflix, 2014-). Pushed by the desire to film another comedy special, Cenac decided to do it his own way and wrote, directed, and produced the show at Brooklyn's intimate Union Hall, then sold it to Netflix, who distributed the show, "Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn" in 2014.
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Wyatt Cenac
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
100% |
|
It Started as a Joke | Self | - | 2019 |
67% |
|
Fits and Starts | David (Character) | - | 2017 |
29% |
|
I Do... Until I Don't | Zander (Character) | $279.3K | 2017 |
29% |
|
Jacqueline Argentine | Director (Character) | - | 2016 |
8% |
|
Growing Up and Other Lies | Gunderson (Character) | - | 2014 |
36% |
|
Hits | Babatunde (Character) | - | 2014 |
83% |
|
Sleepwalk With Me | Chris (Character) | $2.2M | 2012 |
85% |
|
Medicine for Melancholy | Micah (Character) | $110.9K | 2008 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Daily Show |
Correspondent, Guest |
2008-2012 2014-2015 2024 |
No Score Yet | 84% | The Great North |
Deppy/ |
2021-2022 |
No Score Yet | 88% | Bob's Burgers | Announcer (Guest Voice) | 2017-2018 2022 |
No Score Yet | 44% | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2019-2021 |
100% | 80% | Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas |
Executive Producer, Host |
2018-2019 |
No Score Yet | 18% | The Late Late Show With James Corden | Guest | 2018 |
No Score Yet | 48% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2016 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Night Train With Wyatt Cenac |
Executive Producer, Host |
2016 2018 |
No Score Yet | 55% | Late Night With Seth Meyers | Guest | 2014 2018 |
89% | 86% | People of Earth | Ozzie Graham (Character) | 2016-2017 |
91% | 84% | Archer | Cliff (Guest Voice) | 2017 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Conan | Guest | 2014-2016 |
No Score Yet | 81% | Last Week Tonight With John Oliver | Himself (Guest Star) | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Last Call With Carson Daly | Guest | 2014 |
No Score Yet | 58% | Fanboy & Chum Chum |
Lenny (Character), Unknown (Voice) |
2009-2012 2014 |
75% | 82% | Maron | Himself (Guest Star) | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange | Host | 2012-2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell | Guest | 2013 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show | Guest | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Late Night With Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2011 |
No Score Yet | 77% | King of the Hill | Guard (Guest Voice) | 2007 |