Emil Wakim

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Emil Wakim
Born (1998-03-11) March 11, 1998 (age 26)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationComedian

Emil Wakim (born March 11, 1998) is a Lebanese-American comedian. [1] He is a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live for its 50th season.

Contents

Early life and career

Wakim was born in Chicago on March 11, 1998 to a Lebanese Maronite father and a White American mother. [2] [1] He was raised in Indiana as a Maronite Christian, a non-Arab ethnorelgious group, [3] but despite his father teaching him that it is inaccurate to identify as an Arab Christian, [4] [5] he identifies as such. [5] [6] [1] He moved to Bloomington, Indiana for college and is based in Brooklyn, New York. [7] [8]

Wakim was selected as a New Face of Comedy at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He has opened for comedians such as Roy Wood Jr., Kyle Kinane, Nikki Glaser, Hasan Minhaj and Neal Brennan. [8]

When asked about his experience leading up to his first The Tonight Show appearance in 2022, he stated that, "Doing Fallon was probably the highlight so far, especially for what it meant for me at the time I got it. I was new to New York and desperately needed a credit or something to feel validated and be able to get booked on things." [9]

He was announced in September 2024 as one of three new featured cast members on Saturday Night Live for its 50th season; the others were Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. [10] [11] Wakim is the show's first Lebanese-American cast member and the third Middle-Eastern cast member after Nasim Pedrad & Aristotle Athari.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Bedirian, Razmig. "Who is Emil Wakim? Meet the first Lebanese Saturday Night Live cast member". The National. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ Martin, Clare (September 10, 2024). "SNL Bids Farewell to Chloe Troast, Adds New Cast Members Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  3. ↑ Moosa, Matti (1986). The Maronites in History. Syracuse, N.Y., USA: Syracuse University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ↑ Kaufman, Asher (2024). "Writing the History of Mount Lebanon: Church Historians and Maronite Identity by Mouannes Hojairi (review)". The Catholic Historical Review. 110 (2): 400–401. ISSN   1534-0708.
  5. 1 2 Saturday Night Live (October 19, 2024). Weekend Update: Emil Wakim on Voting in the 2024 Election - SNL . Retrieved October 23, 2024– via YouTube.
  6. ↑ Oganesyan, Natalie (October 20, 2024). "'SNL's 'Weekend Update' Features Newcomer Emil Wakim Unpacking Young People's Support For Gaza: "Just Stop Bombing Them, They'll Get To Gay"". Deadline. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  7. ↑ Kugler, Jenny Porter Tilley and Carol. "SNL has new cast members, including Emil Wakim, standup from Bloomington". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Bio". Emil Wakim. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Emil Wakim's Parents Finally Understand His Job Now". Vulture. September 6, 2024. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  10. ↑ Gularte, Alejandra; Fox, Jesse David (September 9, 2024). "SNL Adds Three New Cast Members for Season 50". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 10, 2024). "'SNL' Adds Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim & Jane Wickline To Cast For Season 50, Promotes Trio As Chloe Troast Departs". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
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