Paul Elia
A grinning recap of the lies you tell your immigrant parents.
1 special · 2026
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Elia performs with a bright, persistent smile, looking less like a comedian delivering a monologue and more like a guy catching up with friends. He paces casually, dropping into loose conversation with the front row before easing back into a premise. When he talks about the elaborate lies he told his parents to pursue comedy, he skips the angst. He mimics his mother’s guilt trips with affection, rolling his eyes at the memory and pausing to let the audience recognize the behavior.
Specials
On stage
He operates in a specific lane between the Los Angeles club circuit and a Middle Eastern diaspora. After gaining industry footing during the pandemic by co-founding an outdoor comedy series with Matt Rife, Elia started bringing his act back to his home state of Michigan. He deliberately targets first-generation Chaldean crowds, often performing for parents and grandparents who do not regularly attend standup shows.
He builds his longest routines by mapping the distance between his daily life and his family’s traditional demands. He repeats the exact logic his immigrant parents use, imitating his mother as she calmly suggests he marry a cousin to keep the bloodline pure. He tells these stories without bitterness. He adopts a shrug-it-off posture on stage, treating the fact that his brother is a neurosurgeon while he does comedy as a simple fact of life rather than a source of shame. He peppers his sets with crowd work, using the audience to test if anyone else’s family is this exhausting.
His childhood in a Chaldean neighborhood in Detroit provides the specific familial quirks that anchor his act. Outside of standup, he makes regular television and sketch appearances, including several spots on Conan.
Turning points
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2020–2022
Co-Founding the Lowkey Comedy Show
Alongside Matt Rife, Elia created, produced, and hosted the popular outdoor Los Angeles showcase Lowkey Comedy Show, which was featured at Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival and spotlighted on The Tonight Show.
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Self-Releasing Debut Special Detroit Player
Filmed in Detroit and produced alongside partners Matt Rife, Bassem Youssef, and Azhar Usman, Elia released his debut special independently on YouTube after choosing not to wait on streaming platforms.
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Pushback and Threats Over Intra-Community Unity Stance
Elia faced community ostracization and a death threat prior to a tour stop in Toronto after speaking out candidly on Assyrian and Chaldean identity divisions and advocating for unity.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Matt RifeElia and Rife came up together in comedy, co-created and co-hosted the LA stand-up showcase Lowkey Comedy Show, and collaborated on Elia's debut special Detroit Player.
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Ramy Youssef
Both share creative roots exploring Middle Eastern diaspora identity and have collaborated across projects including Ramy and #1 Happy Family USA.
Also on screen
- Detroit 1-8-7
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Lady Dynamite
- Dirty
- 2018–2020
- Conan
A clip to start with
Paul Elia - Language Barriers (Stand Up Comedy)