Wyatt John Foster Cenac Jr. (; born April 19, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He was a
correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
and writer for ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fr ...
'' from 2008 to 2012. He starred in the
TBS series ''
People of Earth
''People of Earth'' is an American science fiction sitcom television series created by David Jenkins about a support group for alien abductees, as well as the aliens who had abducted them. TBS ordered the pilot under the name ''The Group'' in ...
'' and in
Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Ind ...
's first feature ''
Medicine for Melancholy
''Medicine for Melancholy'' is a 2008 independent romantic drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins. The film stars Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins, and Elizabeth Acker.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 7, 2008 ...
''. He also hosted and produced the
HBO series ''
Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas''.
Early life
Cenac was born in New York on April 19, 1976 at
St. Vincent's Hospital in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and spent his early years in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
. His father, Wyatt Cenac Sr., was a cab driver born in
Saint Mark Parish, Grenada
St Mark Parish is a parish on the west coast of Grenada, in the Grenadines. It is the smallest parish on the island in terms of both area and population.
Victoria
Along the west coast of the island nation of Grenada lies the small fishing villa ...
in 1944. When Cenac was five, his father was shot and killed in his cab by a teenage passenger in Harlem. Cenac moved with his mother, a New York native, and Trinidadian stepfather to
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, Texas, in 1981. He spent his summers with his maternal grandmother in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New Yo ...
in an apartment on President Street.
While in elementary school, he became friends with comic book writer
Brian K. Vaughan, who also introduced him to comic books. He graduated from the
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (commonly referred to as Jesuit Dallas or Dallas Jesuit, and formerly known as Jesuit High School) is a private, college-preparatory school for young men under the direction of the Society of Jesus a ...
and the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...
before moving to Los Angeles. As of October 2014, Cenac lives in
Fort Greene,
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and previously lived in
Prospect Heights during
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...
in 2012.
Cenac is the nephew of the Hon. Mr. Justice Dunbar Cenac, Registry of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. His father was the cousin of former deputy prime minister of Grenada
Bernard Coard, who was imprisoned for 25 years following the American
invasion of Grenada
The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military ...
in October 1983. Cenac's paternal 3x-great-grandfather Cherebin Cenac was an officer from
Agen
The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux.
Geography
The city of Agen lies in the southwestern departme ...
, France, on a French battleship during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
who settled in
Soufrière, Saint Lucia
Soufrière is a town on the West Coast of Saint Lucia, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The town and the surrounding district has a population of 7,935. It was colonized by the French and was the original capital of the island.
History
French colon ...
. Cherebin's youngest child, Francis (1830–1892), later emigrated to Grenada.
Career
Having previously worked for three years as a writer on ''
King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
'', Cenac garnered public attention in The Doomed Planet comedy sketch in which he did an impression of then-senator
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
, discussing possible campaign posters.
In June 2008, Cenac was hired as a correspondent and writer on ''
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. After making several comedic appearances along with other correspondents, Cenac filed his first field report on July 21, 2008; titled "Baruch Obama," the report discussed Jewish voters' opinions of Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. He continued to integrate satirical Black-oriented material in his ''Daily Show'' segments, including "Rapper or Republican" until his final ''
Daily Show'' appearance on December 13, 2012. In a July 2015 appearance on ''
WTF with Marc Maron'', Cenac revealed that his departure from ''The Daily Show'' stemmed in part from a heated argument he had with
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted '' The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts '' ...
over a June 2011 ''Daily Show'' bit about Republican Presidential candidate
Herman Cain
Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist within the Republican Party. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's d ...
. Despite this, Cenac appeared on Stewart's final episode of ''Daily Show''; both agreed that they're "good", a reference to the Maron podcast.
In October 2009, he worked with rapper
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...
on the music video "Still a Boss", a parody of how the recession is affecting the rap community. Cenac costarred in ''
Medicine for Melancholy
''Medicine for Melancholy'' is a 2008 independent romantic drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins. The film stars Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins, and Elizabeth Acker.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 7, 2008 ...
'', an independent drama by
Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Ind ...
released in 2008 that includes issues of African American identity and gentrification in San Francisco.
Cenac plays the voice of Lenny and Michael Johnson in the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
animated series ''
Fanboy & Chum Chum''.
Cenac guest-starred on the
MC Frontalot album ''
Solved''. Cenac's first hour-long comedy special, ''Comedy Person,'' premiered May 14, 2011, on
Comedy Central.
In October 2014,
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
released Cenac's second comedy special, ''Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn''. This album was nominated at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album. In 2014, he guest-starred in an episode of the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
series ''
BoJack Horseman
''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animated black comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...
''. The following year, he appeared in a filmed segment with fellow comedians
Rachel Feinstein and
Alex Karpovsky on ''
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last ...
''.
Cenac has also co-hosted four episodes of
The Bugle podcast with
Andy Zaltzman
Andrew Zaltzman (born 6 October 1974) is a British comedian and author who largely deals in political and sport-related material.
He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including '' Political Animal'', '' The Department'', ...
since 2016.
Cenac released his third stand up album "Furry Dumb Fighter" in 2016 both digitally and on vinyl. It was recorded in Madison, WI. Cenac reports that the album title is meant to sound like "freedom fighter."
Cenac's film roles include parts in ''
Sleepwalk with Me'' and ''
Hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...
'', as well as a lead role in 2016's ''
Jacqueline Argentine'' and 2017's festival hit, ''
Fits and Starts'', a film nominated for multiple awards, including the feature film grand jury prize at the prestigious
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
film festival. Cenac released a web-series titled "aka Wyatt Cenac" about his life as a crime-fighting vigilante in a gentrifying Brooklyn. Cenac's HBO docuseries, "Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas", premiered in April 2018. In August 2021, he signed a deal with
Cartoon Network Studios
Cartoon Network Studios is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the production arm of Cartoon Network, and started operating ...
and
Warner Bros. Animation.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cenac, Wyatt
1976 births
African-American male comedians
American male comedians
American people of Grenadian descent
American comedy writers
American male film actors
American stand-up comedians
American male television actors
American television writers
American male television writers
American male voice actors
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas alumni
Living people
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
Male actors from Dallas
Male actors from New York City
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Comedians from New York City
Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Screenwriters from Texas
People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn
People from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people