Tommy Pope
{{short description|American comedian and actor}}
{{for|the South Carolina politician|Tommy Pope (politician)}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name = Tommy Pope
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|11|21}}
| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| medium = Stand-up, sketch, television
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| active =
| genre = Observational comedy, sketch comedy
| notable_work= Real Househusbands of Philadelphia, Delco Proper
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Tommy Pope (né Papa; born November 21, 1979){{cite news |title='Delco Proper' gives county a starring role in new Comedy Central show |url=https://www.delcotimes.com/2015/07/13/delco-proper-gives-county-a-starring-role-in-new-comedy-central-show/ |work=Delaware County Daily Times |date=July 13, 2015 |access-date=December 10, 2022}}{{Additional citation needed|reason=Currently cited reference from the Delaware County Daily Times only confirms Pope's family name and age, but doesn't confirm his full date of birth|date=December 2022}} is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor.
He is best known for his digital content as part of the sketch comedy troupes BirdText and Deer Prom, who were responsible for the web series Real Househusbands of Philadelphia and the Comedy Central web series Delco Proper.
Early life
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pope grew up in Drexel Hill, a neighborhood located 8 miles west of Center City, Philadelphia. He is the youngest of three boys.{{cite news |last=Wilcox |first=David |date=April 23, 2015 |title=Comedy Pope: Pope takes personal, whip-smart comedy to Auburn Public Theater |url=http://auburnpub.com/entertainment/comedy-pope-tommy-pope-takes-personal-whip-smart-comedy-to/article_ffdb43b2-fa18-5c7a-9537-809b5594eab3.html |work=The Citizen |access-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription}} His father is of Italian descent, his mother is of Irish descent.
Pope attended Monsignor Bonner High School and is a graduate of Drexel University, where he studied information science, technology and engineering. After graduation, Pope worked in information technology support and then in advertising before pursuing a career in comedy.
Career
Pope started comedy at the age of 28 at the suggestion of one of his brothers.{{cite web |url=http://campusphilly.org/2011/11/11/phillys-phunniest-tommy-pope/ |title=Philly's Phunniest Tommy Pope |date=November 11, 2011 |website=campusphilly.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630085833/http://campusphilly.org/2011/11/11/phillys-phunniest-tommy-pope/ |archive-date=June 30, 2013}} He adopted the surname "Pope" as his stage name to avoid being confused with comedian Tom Papa.
In 2011, he won "Philly's Phunniest", a yearly comedy contest held by Helium Comedy Club, and was featured in the "New Faces" showcase at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal the following year.{{cite web |url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/philadelphia/article/Act-II-Playhouse-to-Present-JOLIET-HARRIS-A-KNIGHT-WITH-A-WILSON-106-Stand-Up-with-Tommy-Pope-and-More-1012-20131011 |title=Act II Playhouse Presents Stand-Up with Tommy Pope and More Tonight |date=October 12, 2013 |website=Broadway World |publisher=Wisdom Digital Media |access-date=December 10, 2022}} He made his television debut on AXS TV's stand up series Gotham Comedy Live in 2013 and was a contestant in the eighth season of NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2014.{{cite web |url=http://www.axs.tv/originals/chelsea-latelys-heather-mcdonald-hosts-an-all-new-gotham-comedy-live/ |title="Chelsea Lately's" Heather McDonald Hosts an All New Gotham Comedy Live |publisher=AXS TV |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626151547/http://www.axs.tv/originals/chelsea-latelys-heather-mcdonald-hosts-an-all-new-gotham-comedy-live/ |archive-date=June 26, 2015 }}{{Cite web|url=http://theinterrobang.com/new-yorks-funniest-contest-shows-amazing-young-talent-picks-winner/|title=New York's Funniest Contest Shows off Amazing Young Talent, Picks a Winner|date=November 9, 2014 |website=theinterrobang.com |publisher=Orange Pop Media |access-date=December 10, 2022}}
Pope first met frequent collaborator, John McKeever (co-creator and director of the web series Gilly & Keeves with comedian Shane Gillis) in 2008 while performing stand-up comedy at The Raven Lounge in Philadelphia.{{cite magazine |last=Sanneh |first=Kelefa |date=September 19, 2022 |title=Shane Gillis's Fall and Rise |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/09/26/shane-gillis-fall-and-rise |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=December 10, 2022}} Pope, McKeever and Luke Cunningham (writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) formed comedy sketch group BirdText from 2010 to 2014.{{cite magazine |last=Fiorillo |first=Victor |date=February 20, 2014 |title=Q&A: Luke Cunningham, the Delco Writer Helping Jimmy Fallon Be Funny |url=https://www.phillymag.com/things-to-do/2014/02/20/luke-cunningham-jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-questlove/ |magazine=Philadelphia |access-date=December 10, 2022}} The group performed a monthly show at Helium Comedy Club and also produced digital content which has been featured on VH1, NPR{{'}}s Fresh Air, Philadelphia Magazine and National Lampoon. They became known for their video series Real Househusbands of Philadelphia, a spoof of the Real Housewives franchise.{{cite news |last=DeHuff |first=Jenny |date=July 29, 2015 |title='Delco' a series? Well, it's only proper |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/198616877/ |work=Philadelphia Daily News |page=8 |access-date=December 10, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}} In 2013 Pope appeared in a sketch featuring Steve Martin on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.{{cite magazine |last=Fiorillo |first=Victor |date=May 7, 2013 |title=VIDEO: Philly Comedian In Steve Martin's Awesome Jimmy Fallon Entrance |url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2013/05/07/steve-martin-jimmy-fallon-tommy-pope-video/ |magazine=Philadelphia |access-date=December 10, 2022}} Cunningham was writing for the show at the time.
In 2014 Pope and McKeever created another comedy sketch group, Deer Prom, that performed regularly at Carolines on Broadway and they performed at the New York Comedy Festival in 2014.{{cite web |url=http://nycomedyfestival.com/event/deer-prom/ |title=Dear Prom |website=nycomedyfestival.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003083053/http://nycomedyfestival.com/event/deer-prom/ |archive-date=October 3, 2014|access-date=December 10, 2022}} As Deer Prom, Pope, McKeever and comedian Tim Butterly created the comedy series Delco Proper for Comedy Central.{{cite news |date=April 19, 2017 |title=Network orders local guys' pilot |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/294320554/ |work=Philadelphia Daily News |page=8 |access-date=December 10, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}} The series revolves around the lives of three best friends from Philadelphia and Delaware County and the network initially posted a single episode to their website in 2015, followed by three more episodes in 2016. In 2017 Comedy Central announced that it had ordered Delco Proper for their 2017–2018 season, however the show did not make it to air on their television network.
Pope was featured in an episode of the Comedy Central storytelling series, This Is Not Happening, in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL5V-3zXTOg |title=Tommy Pope - The Washy Wash - This Is Not Happening |date=February 2, 2018 |website=YouTube |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=December 10, 2022}}
In 2021, Pope and fellow comedian Chris O'Connor, who share a New York apartment, started the podcast Stuff Island.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/@stuffisland |title=Stuff Island |website=YouTube |access-date=December 10, 2022}} The podcast features conversations with a different comedian each episode, recorded from their living room.
References
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Category:American male comedians
Category:American comedy writers
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:Male actors from New York City
Category:Writers from New York City
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Male actors from Philadelphia
Category:American male television actors
Category:Comedians from New York City