The Introspective Wisecracker

Whether you know Chris D’Elia from his acting role in the comedy series “Glory Daze,” ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” his Comedy Central appearances, or his three Netflix comedy specials, “No Pain” (2020), “Man on Fire” (2017), and “Incorrigible” (2015), one thing is for sure — he continues to evolve as an artist.

And he’s staying busy. D’Elia is currently on his “Straight Outta the Multiverse” comedy tour and hosts the popular weekly podcast “Congratulations with Chris D’Elia,” which has been going strong since 2017, garnering tens of thousands of five-star reviews. He also co-hosts two podcasts: the comedy podcast “The Golden Hour” with former professional mixed martial artist Brendan Schaub and comedian Erik Griffin; and the advice-centric podcast “Lifeline” with his brother Matt D’Elia.

D’Elia has been doing standup comedy for nearly two decades, but some fans may not realize he actually got his start in entertainment as a budding actor. “It’s weird that I have been doing this for what will be 20 years in January,” D’Elia says. “I started out as an actor and naively thought making a name for myself as an actor would get me into standup comedy. I didn’t realize that standup is the hardest thing to do.”

Life has certainly thrown some curveballs at the actor, comedian, and podcast host. In 2020, the “Undateable” alum was accused of sexual misconduct with multiple women claiming he sent them messages for unwanted sex, while others alleged he approached them while they were underage, all of which he vehemently denies, saying all of his relationships have been both legal and consensual. D’Elia was originally cast for a role in “Army of the Dead,” but was later replaced due to the allegations, and several other venues ended up canceling his shows in response to the claims.

“It was the hardest thing I ever went through,” he says. “It’s hard to have people think something about you that’s not true.” Since then, things have gotten better. D’Elia married Kristin Taylor D’Elia in 2022, and they have two sons together, Calvin and Billy.

“I have done a lot of soul searching and a lot of therapy,” D’Elia admits, adding. “There were times when I thought I would give up, but what saved me at the time is my son Calvin and my wife. I have two sons now, but I remember thinking, ‘I can’t say to my son I gave up.’ For a few months, I didn’t want to get on stage but was able to turn that experience into my latest special (“Grow or Die”). It was the hardest thing I have ever done artistically and comedically.”

Even after all that, D’Elia still has never had an alcoholic drink in his life. “All of my battles have been internal,” he says. “I live a life of traveling and being on stage. It can be lonely, but I try to cope with it. I am so grateful and happy to speak with fans along the way. They are my ride or die.”

D’Elia says he doesn’t have to look very far to come up with fresh content — his parents have provided easy material. “They are both hilarious, and now my wife is as well,” he says. “Comedically, I would say Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey have inspired me. I love Chris Rock and Bill Burr, too. Comics look at certain situations differently — interactions with other people and the way they are, and why they are, interest me, and I find that funny. I try to be as original as I can.”

Since 2020, D’Elia says his comedy has become more self-reflective, and he is proud of being able to transform a difficult chapter of his life into something meaningful. While he doesn’t have any off-limits topics for his standup, he does admit becoming a father has made him think a bit more about what he now wants to share.

“I often think I don’t want to get too explicit,” he says. “I’m 45 now and a dad. I definitely try my hardest to keep it real and original. I have to understand what is happening in my own head and be truthful to myself. If people listen to me, they know that about me.”

D’Elia admits he could do stand-up forever about his kids because the jokes literally write themselves. “Probably the funniest thing was trying to potty train my kids,” he says. “The shit they say will stop you dead in your tracks. Calvin asked me once, ‘When are we going to heaven?’ You have to find a way to tell him without scaring him, but I don’t even know the answer to that question myself.”

Right now, D’Elia has more than 20 tattoos and plans to get even more. “It has taken a little slower than I’d like to get some more,” he says. “My younger son, Billy, is into cars and Hot Wheels, so I want to get something like that for him next.”

In his “Grow or Die” comedy special available on YouTube, he says he asked his oldest son, Calvin, every day for a week what his favorite dinosaur was, and he always responded, “triceratops.” In honor of him, D’Elia decided to get the dinosaur tattoo on his arm. When he returned to his son, showing off his fresh ink, his son told him his favorite dinosaur is the tyrannosaurus rex.

“Love is blind,” he says. “I would have gotten whatever he said on my arm. Ever since I talked about the dinosaur tattoo and it went viral on TikTok, people have stopped me on the street asking to see my triceratops tattoo.”

D’Elia’s tattoo collection features creations from highly detailed script artist Devin Mena, Codey Doran, who inked the log cabin tattoo on his left arm, and fine-line artist Dr. Woo, who has created a collection of flight-inspired pieces.

“I have a tattoo ‘Grow or Die,’ which is my mantra, and I also have one of an elevator with a heart in it to represent the ups and downs of life,” he says. “I have an eagle on my chest because that’s an animal I relate to. The first tattoo I got is on my hand because I wanted it to be visible. Dr. Woo added a little eagle to it later.”

Through the criticisms and controversy, somehow D’Elia still finds humor all around him. With his “Straight Outta the Multiverse” tour continuing through the end of the year, D’Elia’s brand of comedy is sure to stay with you for a lifetime, just like the artwork inked on your skin.