| Ricky Velez | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988or1989(age 35–36) [1] Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Children | 1 |
Ricky Velez is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He co-starred with his best friend, Pete Davidson, in The King of Staten Island (2021), which he also helped write and produce. His first stand-up special, Ricky Velez: Here's Everything, was released on HBO in October 2021.
Ricky Velez was born and raised in Queens, New York in a blue-collar family with two brothers. [2] [3] Velez is half Puerto Rican and half Irish. [4] One of his brothers introduced him to stand-up comedy through half-hour specials on Comedy Central and watching The Daily Show . [5] He studied drama at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens. [6] [2]
After graduating, Velez attended college for less than a year before he returned to Queens and tried to join the military. [2] He was denied to the military and started working various odd jobs, including for his friend's carpet company, where he would lay carpet for red carpet events. [2] [5] [3]
After returning to Queens at age 19, Velez started working for the Broadway Comedy Club, where he would take tickets while performing stand-up each night. [5] [7] He was dealing with depression at the time and felt he needed "the instant gratification that stand-up gives". [2] During this time, he met Pete Davidson and would later become roommates with him. [3]
In 2014, Velez won the New York's Funniest Stand-Up competition at the New York Comedy Festival. [2] As a result, he was able to land a role as one of the contributors for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (2015–2016). [2] [8] He has said that the experience on the show taught him that he did not like making daily television. [2] Velez has played guest roles in several television shows, including one episode in Crashing in 2018. [9]
Velez collaborated with his long-time best friend Pete Davidson on The King of Staten Island , a semi-biographical film about Davidson by Judd Apatow that was released in 2021. [3] Velez co-starred with Davidson and was also a writer and producer on the film. [3] [10] Velez was cast in June 2019 after Davidson asked him to audition for the part of one of his close friends who is a bad influence on Davidson's character. [6] [3] [4] Velez was excited to be able to deal with topics such as mental health in the film. [3] [11] Velez was also signed by William Morris Endeavor in 2021. [12]
Judd Apatow helped Velez release his first stand-up special later that year on HBO, Ricky Velez: Here's Everything, which was executive produced by Apatow and Pete Davidson. [2] The special deals with topics such as mental health and his family. [13] Velez described the special as "me introducing myself to the world". [5] He had attempted to film the special at his high school alma mater, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, but the board of education did not allow it. [2] It was eventually filmed over two shows at Brooklyn Steel on August 28, 2021, with most of the footage used in the special from the second show. [7] Velez had toured for five months prior to filming to work on the material during the COVID-19 pandemic. [7] The special received positive reviews, with Jason Zinoman in The New York Times describing it as a "solid introduction to his spiky, propulsive comedy". [14] [13]
In 2023, Velez portrayed Alex in the television comedy show Single Drunk Female, where he is the former boss and eventual boyfriend of Sam, portrayed by Sofia Black-D'Elia. [15]
When Velez was 21, he became roommates with Pete Davidson in Brooklyn Heights. [2] Velez has said that period of his life was fun but unhealthy. [2]
Velez's mother died in 2016, a few months before The Nightly Show was cancelled, which led to a tough period in his life. [2] He was able to use his stand-up performances, especially at the New York Comedy Club, as part of his healing process. [2] During the pandemic, Velez started attending therapy when he did not have stand-up as an emotional outlet. [5]
Velez has a son, born in 2018, who can be seen playing guitar at the end of his 2021 HBO comedy special. [3] [2]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The King of Staten Island | Oscar | co-writer, co-producer |
| 2022 | I Love My Dad | Derek | |
| 2022 | The Listener | Ellis | |
| 2023 | Good Burger 2 | Scrawny goon |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Master of None | Ricky | 1 episode |
| 2015–2016 | The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore | contributor | |
| 2018 | Crashing | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Pause with Sam Jay | Party guest | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Single Drunk Female | Alex | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Bupkis | Ricky | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Ten Year Old Tom | voice role | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ricky Velez: Here's Everything | HBO Special |