Thomas Papa Jr. (born November 10, 1968) is an American

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

, actor, and radio host. He hosts the

Sirius XM Satellite Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius ...

show ''Come to Papa'' and, in July 2019, he and

Fortune Feimster Emily Fortune Feimster (; born July 1, 1980) is an American writer, comedian, and actress. Having made her television debut on NBC's ''Last Comic Standing'' in 2010, Feimster starred as Colette on '' The Mindy Project'' (2015–2017). In July 2 ...

started hosting the Sirius XM show ''What a Joke with Papa and Fortune''. Papa hosted the show ''Baked'' on the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

and was the head writer and a performer on the radio variety show ''

Live from Here ''Live from Here'', formerly known as ''A Prairie Home Companion with Chris Thile'', is an American variety radio show known for its musical guests, tongue-in-cheek radio drama, and relaxed humor. Hosted by Chris Thile, it aired live on Saturd ...

'', hosted by

Chris Thile Christopher Scott Thile (; born February 20, 1981) is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive blue ...

, where he delivered the "Out In America" segment.

Early life

Papa was born in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

, and grew up in

Park Ridge, New Jersey Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Park Ridge had a population of 8,645 as of the 2010 United States Census,Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey Woodcliff Lake is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the borough's population was 5,730,Pascack Hills High School Pascack Hills High School (PHHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two secondary schools serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County, New ...

in 1986. He is a graduate of

Rider College Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

. He has two daughters, and a sister who works at the non-profit organization, City Green. Papa is noted to have played football and track while younger.

Career

Stand-up comedy

He began in New York City in 1993 playing open mics and hosting at the Stand Up New York comedy club. He toured with

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom '' Seinfeld'', which he created and wrote with La ...

after meeting him at the Comedy Cellar in New York. In 2005 he released his debut comedy album ''Calm, Cool, & Collected''. His successful one-man show ''Only Human'' opened at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He has recorded five stand-up specials. ''Live in New York City'' and ''Freaked Out'' were directed by

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

. His fourth special, ''Human Mule'', aired December 2016. All of his specials stream on Hulu, Amazon and Netflix. Papa has appeared multiple times on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'', ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'', and ''

The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It launched on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and producer unti ...

''. Papa's catchphrase is "Have you ever...? I have!"

Radio

Papa hosts the

show ''Come to Papa'', with other comedians occasionally serving as guest hosts. In July 2019, Papa and

started hosting ''What a Joke with Papa and Fortune'', interviewing comedians and other celebrities, the first live programming on the Sirius XM station

Netflix is a Joke 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 ...

. Papa writes and performs the monthly ''Come to Papa Live'', a version of a classic radio play combined with standup, music, and sketches. ''Come to Papa Live'' is alternately hosted between The Village Underground in New York and Largo in Los Angeles. Guests on ''Come to Papa Live'' have included

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

Sarah Silverman Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American comedian, actress, and writer. Silverman was a writer and performer on ''Saturday Night Live'', and she starred in and produced '' The Sarah Silverman Program'', which ran from 2007 to ...

Joel McHale Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is best known for hosting '' The Soup'' (2004–2015) and his role as Jeff Winger on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015). He has performe ...

Andy Richter Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Night'' and ' ...

, and

Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...

. Tom first appeared as a panelist on NPR's ''Wait, Wait...Don't tell Me'' on June 30, 2018. He appeared as the guest for ''The Official Podcast'' on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

on August 30, 2018. After Chris Thile took over ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed '' Live from ...

'' from

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radi ...

, Papa was a key contributor to the show, now re-named ''Live From Here'', that included the regular segment "Out in America with Tom Papa". He worked behind the scenes as head writer.

TV and film

Papa had a recurring role as Luff in the HBO and

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...

series ''

The Knick ''The Knick'' is an American medical period drama television series on Cinemax created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series follows Dr. John W. Thackery (Clive Owen) and the staff at a fictionalized ve ...

,'' starring Clive Owen. He appeared in Chris Rock's movie ''Top Five'', and starred as Ray Arnett alongside Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in ''

Behind the Candelabra ''Behind the Candelabra'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It dramatizes the last ten years in the life of pianist Liberace and the relationship that he had with Scott Thorson. It is based on Thorson's ...

'', which aired on HBO on May 26, 2013. That was his second film with director

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

. Papa played opposite

in Steven Soderbergh's 2009 film ''

The Informant! ''The Informant!'' is a 2009 American biographical-crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Written by Scott Z. Burns, the film stars Matt Damon as the titular informant named Mark Whitacre, as well as Scott Bakula, Joel McHale and Melanie ...

''. He also played the title character of El Superbeasto and starred opposite

Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...

in the

animated feature ''

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto ''The Haunted World of El Superbeasto'' is a 2009 American adult animated superhero film directed, co-written and co-produced by Rob Zombie. The film was written by Zombie and Tom Papa from Zombie's comic book series of the same name. The film w ...

''. He played himself in ''

Comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

'', and lent his voice to the animated feature ''

Bee Movie ''Bee Movie'' is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film co-produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG and Columbus 81 Productions, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner (in the fo ...

''. In 2010, Papa hosted NBC's '' The Marriage Ref'', which ran for two seasons. Papa's other TV appearances include ''Inside Amy Schumer'', ''The Jim Gaffigan Show'', a recurring role on ''

The New Adventures of Old Christine ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (often shortened to simply ''Old Christine'') is an American sitcom television series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a divorced mother doing her best to keep pace with those around her ...

'', hosting the FOX show '' Boom!'' which aired in summer 2015, VH1's '' I Love the '70s'', '' I Love the '80s'', and '' I Love the '90s'' series,

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General ...

's US version of the British game show ''

Duck Quacks Don't Echo ''Duck Quacks Don't Echo'' is a British television comedy panel game show that aired on Sky1 from 7 February 2014 to 12 October 2017. It was hosted by Lee Mack. Rounds Each episode has three rounds. * Fact Off - The three guests reveal their ...

''. In 2020, Papa appeared in an hour long comedy special for

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 ...

entitled ''You're Doing Great!'' and published a book of the same name.

Filmography

Film

*''

Analyze That ''Analyze That'' is a 2002 American mafia comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Paula Weinstein and Jane Rosenthal. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film '' Analyze This''. The film starred Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal who ...

'' (2002) *''

'' (2002) *''The Life Coach'' (2005) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2009) (also writer) *''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2013) *'' Top Five'' (2014) *''

3 from Hell ''3 from Hell'' is a 2019 American horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the third installment in the ''Firefly'' trilogy, which began with ''House of 1000 Corpses'' (2003), and stars Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Mose ...

'' (2019) *'' Paper Spiders'' (2021) *''

Air Jordan Air Jordan is an American brand of basketball shoes produced by American corporation Nike. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for Hall of Fame former basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 an ...

'' (TBA)

TV

*''

Comedy Central Presents ''Comedy Central Presents'' is an American stand-up comedy television series created for Comedy Central. It is the network's main half-hour program which highlights either one or a series of stand-up comedians each episode. In 2011, the series ...

'' (2001 and 2007) *''

Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn ''Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' is a comedic talk show which aired on Comedy Central from 2002 to 2004. The show featured host Colin Quinn and a panel of comedian guests, discussing politics, current events, and social issues. Show history an ...

'' (Unknown episodes, 2002) *''

Come to Papa ''Come To Papa'' is a blues album by Carl Weathersby. It was released in 2000 on the Evidence Records. It was produced by John Snyder and recorded December 18–21, 1999 at Sounds Unreel in Memphis, Tennessee. Track listing *01. "Come To Pa ...

'' (4 episodes, 2004) *''

'' (2 episodes, 2008) *'' The Marriage Ref'' (2010) *''

'' *'' The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' *''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production compa ...

'' *''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

'' *''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'' *''

'' (2013) *''

'' (2014) *''Human Mule'' (EPIX special) (2016) *''

Tosh 2.0 ''Tosh.0'' ( ) is an American television series that aired on Comedy Central from June 4, 2009, to November 24, 2020. The series is hosted and produced by comedian Daniel Tosh, who provides satirical commentary on online viral video clips, inter ...

'' (2016) *'' Inside Amy Schumer'' (2015) *''

The Jim Gaffigan Show ''The Jim Gaffigan Show'' is an American sitcom written and executive produced by comedian Jim Gaffigan and his wife Jeannie Gaffigan. Gaffigan stars as a fictionalized version of himself as a stand-up comedian raising five children in a two-bedr ...

'' (2015) *''

'' (US TV series) (2014–) *'' Boom!'' (2015) *''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...

'' (2016) *''Baked with Tom Papa'' (2018–) *''You're Doing Great! (Netflix special)'' (2020) *''What A Day! (Netflix special)'' (2022)

Podcasts

*''Breaking Bread with Tom Papa'' (2020-) * ''Come To Papa'' (2013–2020) *''The Official Podcast'' (2018)

Specials

*''Calm, Cool, & Collected'' (BSeenMedia, 2005) *''Tom Papa: Live in New York City'' (

Comedy Central Records Comedy Central Records is a record label based in New York and owned by Paramount Global. The label specializes in stand-up comedy albums and is distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. The label has r ...

, 2012) *''Freaked Out'' (2013) *''Human Mule'' (2016) *''You're Doing Great! (2020) *''What A Day! (2022)''

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Papa, Tom 1968 births Living people American game show hosts American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors Pascack Hills High School alumni People from Park Ridge, New Jersey Writers from Passaic, New Jersey People from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey Male actors from New Jersey 21st-century American male actors American television writers American male television writers Rider University alumni American radio personalities American writers of Italian descent 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Comedians from New Jersey Screenwriters from New Jersey American radio writers Television producers from New Jersey