Emil Wakim
{{Short description|American comedian (born 1998)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Emil Wakim
| native_name = {{lang|ar|إميل واكيم}}
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|3|11}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| occupation = {{hlist|Comedian|actor}}
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Emil Wakim ({{langx|ar|إميل واكيم}}, {{IPA|apc-LB|ʔeˈmiːl waːˈkiːm|lang|link=yes}}; born March{{nbsp}}11, 1998) is an Lebanese-American comedian and actor.{{Cite web |last=Bedirian |first=Razmig |title=Who is Emil Wakim? Meet the first Lebanese Saturday Night Live cast member |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/09/11/emil-wakim-saturday-night-live-lebanon/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=The National |language=en}} He is a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live for its 50th season.
Early life
Wakim was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March{{nbsp}}11, 1998 to a Lebanese Maronite father and a White American mother.{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Clare |date=2024-09-10 |title=SNL Bids Farewell to Chloe Troast, Adds New Cast Members Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/saturday-night-live/snl-chloe-troast-leaves-new-cast-members-ashley-padilla-emil-wakim-jane-wickline |access-date=2024-09-15 |website= Paste Magazine |language=en |archive-date=September 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910165331/https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/saturday-night-live/snl-chloe-troast-leaves-new-cast-members-ashley-padilla-emil-wakim-jane-wickline |url-status=live }} He identifies as an Arab Christian.{{Cite journal |last=Kaufman |first=Asher |date= 2024 |title=Writing the History of Mount Lebanon: Church Historians and Maronite Identity by Mouannes Hojairi (review) |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/928004 |journal=The Catholic Historical Review |publisher= Project MUSE, Johns Hopkins University| volume=110 |issue=2 |pages=400–401 |doi=10.1353/cat.2024.a928004 |issn= 1534-0708|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web |last=Oganesyan |first=Natalie |date=2024-10-20 |title= 'SNL's 'Weekend Update' Features Newcomer Emil Wakim Unpacking Young People's Support For Gaza: 'Just Stop Bombing Them, They'll Get To Gay' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/10/snl-weekend-update-emil-wakim-gaza-palestine-1236121223/ |access-date= 2024-10-21 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} He graduated from Hinsdale South High School and attended college at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. {{Cite web |last2= Kugler |first1= Jenny |last1= Porter Tilley| first2= Carol |title=SNL has new cast members, including Emil Wakim, standup from Bloomington |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2024/09/10/snl-cast-emil-wakim-bloomington-comedy-attic/75156558007/ |access-date= 2024-10-07 |website= The Indianapolis Star |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title= Bio |url=https://www.emilwakim.com/bio |publisher= Emil Wakim| website= EmilWakim.com |language= en |access-date= 2024-10-17 }}
Career
Wakim was selected as a New Face of Comedy at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.{{Cite web |title=Touchwood Public Relations |url=http://www.touchwoodpr.com/ |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=www.touchwoodpr.com |language=en}} He has opened for comedians including Roy Wood Jr., Kyle Kinane, Nikki Glaser, Hasan Minhaj, and Neal Brennan. In 2022, he made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-06 |title=Emil Wakim's Parents Finally Understand His Job Now |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/emil-wakim-comedians-you-should-know-2024.html |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Vulture |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240906183833/https://www.vulture.com/article/emil-wakim-comedians-you-should-know-2024.html |archive-date=2024-09-06}}
In September 2024, Wakim was announced as one of three new featured cast members on Saturday Night Live for its 50th season.{{Cite web |last1=Gularte |first1=Alejandra |last2=Fox |first2=Jesse David |date=2024-09-09 |title=SNL Adds Three New Cast Members for Season 50 |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-new-cast-members-season-50.html |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Vulture |language=en |archive-date=September 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910011256/https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-new-cast-members-season-50.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2024-09-10 |title='SNL' Adds Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim & Jane Wickline To Cast For Season 50, Promotes Trio As Chloe Troast Departs |url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/snl-season-50-cast-marcello-hernandez-ashley-padilla-1236079790/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date= September 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910011017/https://deadline.com/2024/09/snl-season-50-cast-marcello-hernandez-ashley-padilla-1236079790/ |url-status=live }} He is the show's first Lebanese cast member.{{Cite web |last=Bedirian |first=Razmig |title=Who is Emil Wakim? Meet the first Lebanese Saturday Night Live cast member |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/09/11/emil-wakim-saturday-night-live-lebanon/ |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=The National |language=en}}
== Wikipedia photo ==
File:Emil Wakim November 3, 2024.jpg
In November 2024, an overexposed and freely licensed photo of Wakim was taken at a stand-up show in New York. the photo was used as his Wikipedia picture. Until it was later removed, with an editor stating "having no picture is better than what's currently there".{{Cite web |date=2025-03-29 |title=The amateur photographers fixing Wikipedia's 'terrible' pictures |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqly43k3d45o |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}} In 2025, BBC News used his photo as a rare example of a Wikipedia image being "so bad" they removed it.
Personal life
Wakim resides in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Sister project links|auto=yes}}
- {{IMDb name}}
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Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:American male comedians
Category:American people of Lebanese descent
Category:Comedians from Chicago
Category:Comedians from Indiana