Wyatt Cenac
Born 1976 · Age 49
Wyatt Cenac (b. 1976) is an American comedian, actor, writer and producer known for work on The Daily Show (2008–2012), his stand-up specials, film roles (Medicine for Melancholy) and his HBO docuseries Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Manhattan, New York
Wyatt John Foster Cenac Jr. born at St. Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan, New York City.
Spent childhood summers in Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Cenac spent summers with his maternal grandmother in Crown Heights in an apartment on President Street, maintaining ties to NYC while raised in Dallas.
Family moved to Dallas, Texas
Following his father's death, Cenac moved with his mother and stepfather to Dallas.
Father murdered
Wyatt Cenac Sr., a NYC cab driver born in Grenada (b.1944), was shot and killed in his cab when Wyatt was five; family moved afterward.
Elementary school friendship with Brian K. Vaughan
Befriended future comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan in elementary school; Vaughan introduced Cenac to comics.
Graduated Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas
Completed high school at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (year estimated based on birth year).
Began performing stand-up comedy
Began stand-up while attending University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; years active listed as 1995–present.
Graduated University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Completed college at UNC Chapel Hill (graduation year estimated).
Moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy/TV
Relocated to Los Angeles after college to pursue a career in comedy and television writing/performing.
Began credited work on King of the Hill (TV)
Worked as a writer and performer on King of the Hill (filmography lists credits 2004–2008); credited with writing episodes and voice roles.
Appeared in short films (Grounds Zero, Great Sketch Experiment)
Acted in short films and sketches (listed in filmography: 2006 works).
The Doomed Planet: Barack Obama campaign posters sketch
Gained attention for 'Barack Obama: Campaign Posters' video on The Doomed Planet featuring an Obama impression.
Acted in Medicine for Melancholy (feature film)
Costarred in Barry Jenkins's independent drama Medicine for Melancholy, released in 2008.
Hired as correspondent and writer for The Daily Show
Joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as correspondent and writer (June 2008).
First Daily Show field report: 'Baruch Obama'
Filed his first Daily Show field report titled 'Baruch Obama' discussing Jewish voters' opinions of Barack Obama.
Primetime Emmy Award (writing, The Daily Show) - Win
As part of The Daily Show writing staff, Cenac was part of the team that won Emmy awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (2009).
Began voicing roles on Fanboy & Chum Chum
Voiced characters (Lenny, Michael Johnson) on Nickelodeon's animated series Fanboy & Chum Chum (credits 2009–2014; 24 episodes listed).
Worked on Slim Thug music video 'Still a Boss'
Collaborated with rapper Slim Thug on the parody music video 'Still a Boss' about the recession's effect on the rap community (Oct 2009).
Wrote for Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear (TV special)
Credited as a writer on the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear TV special (Oct 2010).
Participated in Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear (as writer for TV special)
Contributed as writer to the satirical/journalistic Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear TV special (Oct 2010).
Primetime Emmy Award (writing, The Daily Show) - Win
Part of The Daily Show writing staff awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (2011).
Credited on The Daily Show writing staff (numerous episodes)
During his tenure (2008–2012), Cenac is listed on filmography entries referencing writing credits on roughly 570 episodes (show total/credit listing).
Premiere: Wyatt Cenac: Comedy Person (Comedy Central)
His first hour-long stand-up special, 'Comedy Person', premiered on Comedy Central (May 14, 2011).
Lived in Prospect Heights during Hurricane Sandy
Reported to have been living in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn during Hurricane Sandy (Oct 2012).
Appeared in Sleepwalk with Me (film)
Had a supporting role in Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk with Me (2012).
Final Daily Show appearance
Made his final regular appearance on The Daily Show (Dec 13, 2012) after a tenure as correspondent/writer from 2008–2012.
Guest voice roles and TV appearances continue
Guest-starred on shows including The Venture Bros., The Eric André Show and others (ongoing TV guest work).
Guest-starred on BoJack Horseman (voice)
Appeared in two episodes of the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman as a guest voice actor.
Film role: Hits
Played Babatunde in the film 'Hits' (2014).
Resided in Fort Greene, Brooklyn (as of Oct 2014)
Public reporting (Oct 2014) notes Cenac's residence in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; previously lived in Prospect Heights during Sandy (2012).
Released comedy special Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn on Netflix
Wrote, directed and produced the Netflix special 'Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn' (released October 2014).
Filmed segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Appeared in a filmed segment with comedians Rachel Feinstein and Alex Karpovsky on Last Week Tonight (2015).
Explained Daily Show departure on WTF with Marc Maron
On Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Cenac said part of his Daily Show departure stemmed from a heated argument with Jon Stewart over a 2011 bit about Herman Cain.
Appeared on Jon Stewart's final Daily Show episode
Despite past disagreements, Cenac appeared on Jon Stewart's final episode of The Daily Show (Aug 6, 2015).
Released stand-up album 'Furry Dumb Fighter' (digital & vinyl)
Recorded in Madison, WI; title intended to sound like 'freedom fighter'. Released digitally and as 2xLP vinyl in 2016.
Starred in TBS series 'People of Earth' (series start)
Played lead role Ozzie Graham in People of Earth (series premiered 2016; Cenac starred through 2017).
Directed/lead in Jacqueline Argentine (film)
Directed and starred in Jacqueline Argentine (2016).
Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn nominated for Grammy (Best Comedy Album)
The album associated with Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album (58th Annual Grammy Awards cycle).
Hosted 'Night Train with Wyatt Cenac' (TV/stand-up series)
Hosted Night Train With Wyatt Cenac (6-episode series in 2016; also produced and promoted a long-running live stand-up Night Train at Littlefield earlier).
Co-hosted The Bugle podcast (4 episodes)
Co-hosted four episodes of The Bugle with Andy Zaltzman in 2016.
Film role: 'Fits and Starts' festival hit
Starred in the 2017 festival film 'Fits and Starts' (played David).
Released web-series 'aka Wyatt Cenac'
Launched a 10-episode web-series (2017) about his life as a crime-fighting vigilante in a gentrifying Brooklyn.
Premiere: Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas (HBO docuseries)
HBO premiered Cenac's civic-minded docuseries Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas (season 1 premiered April 2018).
People of Earth cancelled after two seasons
TBS series People of Earth (which Cenac starred in 2016–2017) was officially cancelled (reporting 2018 reversing a prior renewal).
Problem Areas season 2 premiere
Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas returned for a second season beginning April 5, 2019.
HBO cancels Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas
HBO cancelled Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas on June 7, 2019 after two seasons.
Voice roles on The Great North (TV)
Provided several voice roles for The Great North (listed in filmography in 2021).
Signed overall deal with Cartoon Network Studios & Warner Bros. Animation
In August 2021 Cenac signed an overall development deal with Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation to create animated content.
WTF with Marc Maron episode re-reference
Marc Maron podcast episode #622 (May 25, 2023) revisits Cenac interview content and career reflections (reference in sources).
Speaker booking fee range published
AAE Speakers lists Wyatt Cenac's live speaking fee range at $30,000–$50,000 (profile listing; date of access/current listing).
Public net worth estimate reported (~$400,000)
A publicly published net-worth profile (aggregator) estimated Cenac's net worth at approximately $400,000 (source: mabumbe.com, Jan 31, 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
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