Julian Sewell (born February 2, 1996) is a New Zealand comedian and digital satirist. He is known for his short-form

comedy sketches Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

and for portraying the fictional actress Paloma Diamond. He first gained attention in 2021 with a spoof of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's Christmas message, launching his career in online satire. He is known for his use of costumes and the extensive collection of wigs to support his varied character portrayals.

Early life

Sewell was born and raised in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. He completed his bachelors degree at

Curtin University Curtin University (previously Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology) is an Australian public university, public research university based in Bentley, Western Australia, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. ...

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and his masters at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

. He taught English at Aorere College and worked at

Mount Roskill Grammar School Mount Roskill Grammar School is a secondary school in the suburb of Mount Roskill, Auckland; it officially opened in 1953, The school has been noted for its relative academic success given its low socio-economic decile. History The school ope ...

, both located in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Career

Sewell began posting comedy sketches in 2021. His viral spoof of Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas message was widely circulated and led to the creation of his signature character, Paloma Diamond. This fictional actress appears in many of his parodies and award-show spoofs. His character work has drawn attention from mainstream media. Coverage by ''NZEDGE'' emphasized the significance of his digital persona in redefining online satire, while an article in ''Emprendedor'' discussed the business opportunities emerging from his virality. His work was also mentioned in

The Guardian Australia ''Guardian Australia'' is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, ''The Guardian''. Available solely in an online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in time for the 2013 Australian fed ...

as part of a roundup of 2024's funniest viral moments, and

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

noted his growing global appeal. In February 2025, Sewell was interviewed by

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

’

Will Ganss Will Ganss is an American broadcast journalist, reporter, writer, and producer known for his work with ABC News. He has served in various capacities on programs such as ''Good Morning America'' and other digital platforms. Early life and educat ...

in character as Paloma Diamond, discussing the (fictional) continuous snubbing of her at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

References

External links

Julian Sewell on TikTok

Julian Sewell on Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Julian 1996 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand comedians Comedians from Auckland Victoria University of Wellington alumni