Sebastian Maniscalco | |
|---|---|
 Maniscalco in 2018 | |
| Born | (1973-07-08)July 8, 1973 (age 52) |
| Alma mater | Northern Illinois University |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1998–present |
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| Subjects | |
| Website | sebastianlive |
Sebastian Maniscalco (/mænɪˈskælkoʊ/;Italian:[maniˈskalko]; born July 8, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Best known for his stand-up comedy, Maniscalco has released seven comedy specials. He has also had supporting acting roles in the filmsGreen Book (2018) andThe Irishman (2019), playing mobsterJoe Gallo in the latter. He also played Frank Russo in the 2022 filmSomewhere in Queens, and later voice acted inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) andIF (2024). Maniscalco co-wrote and co-starred in the 2023 filmAbout My Father, withRobert De Niro playing the role of his father. Maniscalco starred in the TV seriesBookie.
Maniscalco was born on July 8, 1973, in theChicago suburb ofArlington Heights, Illinois, to Italian immigrants; his father Salvatore Maniscalco, who worked as a hairstylist, immigrated to theUnited States with his family fromCefalù,Sicily, at the age of 15. His mother, Rose Maniscalco, was a secretary, and her family has origins inNaples,Campania and Sicily.[1][2][3][4] Maniscalco is aRoman Catholic, and at eight years old, he was analtar boy at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in suburbanMount Prospect, Illinois.[5] He is an alum ofRolling Meadows High School. He graduated fromNorthern Illinois University in 1995, where he was the president of theSigma Pi fraternity chapter, with a degree in communication studies.[6] After moving toLos Angeles in 1998, Maniscalco performed at open mics in bars and bowling alleys while working as a waiter at the Four Seasons Hotel inBeverly Hills, California, where he worked from 1998 to 2005.[7]
In 2005, he began performing regularly atThe Comedy Store inWest Hollywood, California.[7] Maniscalco citesJerry Seinfeld,George Carlin,Brian Regan,John Ritter,Johnny Carson,Andrew Dice Clay,Bill Burr, andDon Rickles as comedic influences.[8] Since then, he has done a half-hour forComedy Central Presents and five hour-long specials. His first special,Sebastian Live, was released on June 2, 2009. His next three specials were aired on Showtime, withWhat's Wrong with People? released on January 5, 2012,Aren't You Embarrassed?, taped inChicago, released on November 14, 2014, andWhy Would You Do That?, taped inNew York City and released in 2016.[7][9]
Maniscalco was one of four comedians featured inVince Vaughn'sWild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland, along withAhmed Ahmed,John Caparulo, and Bret Ernst. Maniscalco has been onRussell Peters'Best Night Ever,Comedy Central Presents,The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,The Jay Leno Show,The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,Conan, andThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Additionally, he appeared in several films, such asThe Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature,The House,Tag, andCruise, and he co-hosts a podcast titledThe Pete and Sebastian Show with fellow comedianPete Correale. As of January 2017, they have a show on Sirius XM satellite radio'sRaw Dog Comedy channel 99. Maniscalco appeared on the seventh season ofComedians in Cars Getting Coffee in 2016 and returned to the series in 2019 for its eleventh season. He published his memoirStay Hungry on February 27, 2018.[9] A Netflix special also titledStay Hungry was released on January 15, 2019.[10]
In 2017, Maniscalco made his feature film debut inThe House, and the following year he appeared as Johnny Venere in the Academy Award-winning filmGreen Book.[11] Maniscalco hosted the2019 MTV Video Music Awards on August 26.[12] In November 2019, Maniscalco appeared inMartin Scorsese'sThe Irishman playing"Crazy" Joe Gallo alongsideRobert De Niro,Joe Pesci, andAl Pacino. He also hosted the three-part companion podcast for the film, first published on December 2, 2019, titledBehind the Irishman.[13]
In June 2021, it was announced that Maniscalco will host a reality television show titledWell Done With Sebastian Maniscalco that premiered on August 12, 2021, onDiscovery+ where he will be joined by friends and family to explore food culture and etiquette.[14] Four days after the premiere, the show was renewed for a six-episode second season that premiered on November 16, 2021.[15] In August 2021, during a podcast, he announced that he was a part of the cast ofIllumination'sThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, playing the role of Spike from the gameWrecking Crew asMario andLuigi's boss.[16]
Maniscalco's 5th comedy special,Is It Me?, was released on December 6, 2022, on Netflix. On May 26, 2023,About My Father was released in theaters, a comedy film Maniscalco co-wrote loosely based on his life and in which he co-starred withRobert De Niro, who played the role of his father.[17] Maniscalco starred for two seasons in the television seriesBookie, which debuted on November 30, 2023.[18]
On April 23, 2025, it was announced that Maniscalco would appear in anApple's first everscripted podcast, titledEasy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story. Maniscalco will voice Charles Ponzi and the podcast is said to discuss the rise and fall of Ponzi as well as his schemes. The podcast will be hosted by Maya Lau.[19]
In September 2025, Maniscalco participated in theRiyadh Comedy Festival. Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher atHuman Rights Watch, said in a statement that the Saudi government is using the comedy festival towhitewash itshuman rights abuses.[20][21][22]
He is known for his "nostalgia" type of humor grounded in personal family experiences and delivered utilizing heavy physical and verbal variations.[23] Most of his material riffs on being raised in an old-school environment with an immigrant father, or just expressing his amazement at people's outlandish behavior.[24] Maniscalco says that comedy cannot be learned, it must be earned. It took him nearly 20 years to develop his "Can you believe this?" style of humor. He explained, "you don't become a bodybuilder the first day you start lifting weights. Same thing with comedy. You gotta flesh out your joke, your bit. You add and subtract. You see what works."[23]
Maniscalco graduated fromNorthern Illinois University in 1995. He was a member of theSigma Pi fraternity and served as chapter president his senior year.[25]
Maniscalco married Lana Gomez in August 2013. The couple has two children together: a daughter born in 2017,[26] and a son born in 2019.[27]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Formats | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sebastian Live | ||
| 2012 | What's Wrong with People? | DVD/Streaming | Entertainment One |
| 2014 | Aren't You Embarrassed? | Streaming | Levity Productions |
| 2016 | Why Would You Do That? | ||
| 2019 | Stay Hungry | Netflix | |
| 2022 | Is It Me? | ||
| 2025 | It Ain’t Right | Hulu |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The House | Stand-Up Comic | |
| The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature | Johnny | Voice | |
| 2018 | Cruise | Dinardo | |
| Tag | Pastor | ||
| Green Book | Johnny Venere | ||
| 2019 | The Irishman | "Crazy" Joe Gallo | |
| 2022 | Somewhere in Queens | Frank Russo | |
| 2023 | Spinning Gold | Giorgio Moroder | |
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Foreman Spike | Voice | |
| About My Father | Himself | Also writer | |
| 2024 | Unfrosted | Chester Slink | |
| IF | Magician Mouse | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Complete Savages | Dance Club Manager | Episode: "Almost Men in Uniform" |
| 2020 | The Comedy Store | Himself | |
| 2021 | Well Done with Sebastian Maniscalco | Himself | 13 episodes |
| 2023–2025 | Bookie | Danny | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Himself | U.S. version; season 3, episode 2 |
...the 43-year-old...Italian-American...Photo caption: "Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, who was born in Arlington Heights...."
...the 43-year-old comedian...
Yes, on Tuesday night's episode ofThe Tonight Show, it was announced that Maniscalco has been selected to host the 2019 MTV VMAs.
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