Chris Distefano

Chris Distefano
Distefano in 2014
PseudonymChrissy D
Birth nameChristopher Paul Anthony Distefano
Born (1984-08-26) August 26, 1984 (age 40)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium
Alma materSt. Joseph's College (BA)
New York Institute of Technology (DPT)
Years active2009–present
GenresObservational comedy
Partner(s)Jasmine Canuelas
Children3
Notable works and rolesGuy Code
Girl Code
Hey Babe!
History Hyenas
Chris Distefano Presents: Chrissy Chaos
WebsiteOfficial website

Christopher Paul Anthony Distefano (born August 26, 1984)[1] is an American comedian. Primarily a stand-up comedian, Distefano began his career in entertainment on MTV and MTV2's shows Guy Code and Girl Code. Distefano's first hour-long standup special, Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist, was released in 2019 by Comedy Central. His second special, Speshy Weshy, premiered on Netflix in May 2022. Distefano co-hosts Hey Babe! podcast with Sal Vulcano from Impractical Jokers and hosts his own podcast, Chrissy Chaos.

Early life

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Distefano, who is of mostly German descent[2] (and also has some Italian and Irish ancestry),[3][4] grew up in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens and attended Archbishop Molloy High School.[5][6] He then attended St. Joseph's College where he played basketball and studied psychology; he graduated in 2006. Distefano was recruited to play for St. Joseph's College Brooklyn's D-III basketball team in 2002. Distefano was the team's lead scorer, and was inducted into the college's Hall of Fame in 2018.[7]

Distefano earned a doctorate in physical therapy from New York Institute of Technology in 2010.[8] He went on to practice pediatric physical therapy until 2013 when he began pursuing his career in comedy full-time.[9]

Career

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Distefano signs the Beacon Theatre's famous elevator before performing a sold-out show on February 5, 2022

Distefano began performing stand-up in August 2009.[4][9] He hosted the 2010 Fencing Masters on the SNY network and Elite 8 of the 2011 and 2012 March Madness Comedy Competition at the comedy club Carolines on Broadway. He was selected to headline Carolines Breakout Artist Series and was selected as a finalist in the 2011 NY Comedy Festival. Besides Carolines, he also performed standup at venues including New York Comedy Club, Comedy Cellar, Gotham Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, and the Laugh Lounge.[10]

In 2012, Distefano joined the cast MTV's Guy Code, which was in its second season. The following year, he also joined the cast of Girl Code.[11] He would also go on to appear in episodes of other MTV shows like Guy Court, Guy Code vs. Girl Code, Off the Bat, and The Challenge.[4] Distefano was a frequent guest on the Opie with Jim Norton show during this time. Distefano went on to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman in June 2013.[12] In 2014, Distefano's first half-hour special was released as part of Comedy Central's The Half Hour.[4]

Following an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers,[13] Distefano began his first national U.S. tour in September 2015 with Monster Energy Outbreak Presents. He co-starred in the 2015 IFC series Benders with Andrew Schulz.[14] He was one of two American announcers on Season 2 of Netflix's Ultimate Beastmaster, which was released on the streaming service on December 15, 2017. During this period, Distefano took part in seven television pilots which did not get picked up, including a CBS-produced show based on his own life called Distefano.[9] Distefano also co-starred in the web series Bay Ridge Boys alongside fellow comic Yannis Pappas, with whom he also co-hosted the weekly history podcast History Hyenas, which was launched in February 2018.[11]

Distefano regularly performs and tours globally. In January 2019, his first hour standup special Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist premiered on Comedy Central, which included a personal welcome on stage by Chazz Palminteri. The special was part of an overall deal he made with Comedy Central in December 2018, which included the series Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano, and at least two series in development.[15] This also includes his weekly podcast Stand-Up with Chris Distefano, launched in April 2019.[16]

In February 2022, Distefano sold out his first performance at New York City's Beacon Theatre.[17] He would later go on to sell out his first two shows at the Gramercy Theatre that March, during which he recorded his second special, Speshy Weshy.[18]

Distefano, an avid sports fan, has hosted episodes of shows including MLB's Off The Bat and MSG's The Brackets. He was invited by the New York Mets to throw the first game pitch in 2021,[19] and set off the Vegas Golden Knights' pre-game siren alongside friend and fellow comedian Andrew Santino in March 2022. In early April, Distefano was also featured on The Pat McAfee Show, hosted by the athlete and sports commentator Pat McAfee.[20]

Personal life

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Distefano dated comedian Carly Aquilino from 2010 to 2014.[21] Distefano has three children with Jasmine Canuelas.[22] He currently resides on Staten Island.[23]

Filmography

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Distefano on The Blocks w/ Neal Brennan in 2023

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2012–15 Guy Code Himself From season 2 on
Girl Code
2013 Guy Code Honors TV special from 2013 Comic-Con
Ain't That America Co-host alongside Lil Duval.
Charlemagne & Friends VMA pre-party on MTV
Guy Court
The Bracket Co-host alongside Yannis Pappas
2014 Off The Bat From The MLB Fan Cave Co-host alongside Melanie Iglesias
2015 Benders Anthony Pucello 8 episodes
2017 Ultimate Beastmaster Himself Co-host alongside Tiki Barber (season 2)
Distefano Chris Unaired CBS pilot
2021 Backyard Bar Wars Himself Host
2023 Super Maximum Retro Show

Film

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Year Title Role
2019 Ode to Joy Staten Island Meathead

Discography

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Comedy specials

  • Size 38 Waist (2019)
  • Speshy Weshy (2022)

Podcasts

  • History Hyenas with Yannis Pappas (2018–2021)
  • Stand-Up with Chris Distefano (2019)[24]
  • Hey Babe! with Sal Vulcano (2020–present)
  • Chrissy Chaos (2021–present)
  • Teach Me Daddy with Matteo Lane (2024–present)

References

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  1. ^ Birthday BABES! | Sal Vulcano & Chris Distefano Present: Hey Babe! | EP 39, retrieved 2022-02-15
  2. ^ Ancestry: Chris, who has long identified himself as a proud Italian-American, recently found out that his family lineage is mostly German, Keith and The Girl, 20 February 2019
  3. ^ "I am as white as toilet paper (Italian, Irish and German)", Chron, March 14, 2018
  4. ^ a b c d Soren, Emma (2014-06-02). "Chris Distefano on the Insane Workload of a Comedian and His Comedy Central Half Hour". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  5. ^ Chris Distefano - Gentrification (Stand up Comedy), retrieved 2019-09-18
  6. ^ "Chris Distefano on Instagram: "Me and my life partner @yannispappas have a WILD podcast called the @historyhyenas ! Take a listen. Take a peek. Why not?! We are doing…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  7. ^ "Bears Athletic Hall of Fame to Induct Chris Distefano '06 on Alumni and Family Day". 11 January 2018.
  8. ^ "NYIT Magazine Winter 2017". 21 February 2017.
  9. ^ a b c King, Scott. "Chris DiStefano's Comedy Central deal could be a game changer". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  10. ^ "Chris DiStefano (MTV's Guy Code) - January 27th 9:00PM". Fairfield Comedy Club. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  11. ^ a b "Chris Distefano". gothamcomedyclub.com. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  12. ^ "Chris DiStefano on David Letterman 20 June, 2013 Full Interview". YouTube.
  13. ^ "Chris Distefano Stand-Up Performance - Late Night with Seth Meyers". YouTube.
  14. ^ "Enjoy the new teaser from IFC's upcoming hockey comedy "Benders" starring Chris Distefano and Andrew Schulz". The Laugh Button. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  15. ^ Petski, Denise (2018-12-06). "Chris Distefano Inks Overall Deal With Comedy Central". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  16. ^ "COMEDY CENTRAL ADDS TWO NEW ENTRIES TO GLOBAL PODCAST..." Comedy Central Press. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  17. ^ "Chris Distefano at Beacon Theatre". 5 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Comedian Chris Distefano Releases Self-Produced Netflix Special".
  19. ^ "Chrissy First Pitch". YouTube.
  20. ^ "Chris Distefano on Visiting Indianapolis - Pat McAfee Podcast". YouTube.
  21. ^ Donnelly, Matthew Scott (2013-09-17). "Chris Distefano Celebrates Moving in with 'GIRL CODE' Girlfriend Carly Aquilino by Passing Out on Her D". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  22. ^ Jim Norton and Sam Roberts, July 9, 2019, SiriusXM
  23. ^ Barbuti, Angela (30 April 2022). "NYC comic Chris Distefano jokes woke culture in Netflix special". New York Post.
  24. ^ "COMEDY CENTRAL ADDS TWO NEW ENTRIES TO GLOBAL PODCAST..." Comedy Central Press. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
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