Night Train With Wyatt Cenac
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wyatt John Foster Cenac Jr. ( ; born April 19, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He was a
correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
and writer for ''
The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...
'' from 2008 to 2012. He starred in the TBS series ''
People of Earth ''People of Earth'' is an American science fiction sitcom television series created by David Jenkins about a support group for alien abductees, as well as the aliens who had abducted them. TBS ordered the pilot under the name ''The Group'' i ...
'' and in
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...
's first feature '' Medicine for Melancholy''. He also hosted and produced the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
series '' Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas''.


Early life

Cenac was born in New York on April 19, 1976, at St. Vincent's Hospital in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
and spent his early years in the
Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. His father, Wyatt Cenac Sr., was a cab driver born in
Saint Mark Parish, Grenada Saint Mark is a parish on the west coast of Grenada. It is the smallest parish on the island in terms of both area and population. Victoria Along the west coast of the island nation of Grenada lies the small fishing village of Victoria, Grenada. ...
, in 1944. When Cenac was five, his father was shot and killed in his cab by a teenage passenger in Harlem. Cenac moved with his mother (Patricia Hampton), a New York native, and Trinidadian stepfather to
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, Texas, in 1981. He spent his summers with his maternal grandmother in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue (New York City), Atlantic Avenue to the north, ...
in an apartment on President Street. While in elementary school, he became friends with comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan, who also introduced him to comic books. He graduated from the
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (commonly referred to as Jesuit Dallas or Dallas Jesuit, and formerly known as Jesuit High School) is a private, college-preparatory school for Single-sex school, young men under the direction of the ...
and the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
before moving to Los Angeles. As of October 2014, Cenac lives in
Fort Greene Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Downtown Brooklyn to the w ...
,
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, and previously lived in Prospect Heights during
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
in 2012. Cenac is the nephew of the Hon. Mr. Justice Dunbar Cenac, Registry of the
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...
. His father was the cousin of former deputy prime minister of Grenada
Bernard Coard Winston Bernard Coard (born 10 August 1944) is a Grenadian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister in the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) of the New Jewel Movement. In 1983, Coard launched a coup within the PRG and briefly too ...
, who was imprisoned for 25 years following the American
invasion of Grenada The United States and a Caribbean Peace Force, coalition of Caribbean countries invaded the small island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela, at dawn on 25 October 1983. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in m ...
in October 1983. Cenac's paternal thrice-great-grandfather Cherebin Cenac was an officer from
Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...
, France, on a French battleship during the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
who settled in
Soufrière, Saint Lucia Soufrière is a town on the West Coast of Saint Lucia, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The town and the surrounding district has a population of 7,935. It was colonized by the French and was the original capital of the island. History French colon ...
. Cherebin's youngest child, Francis (1830–1892), later emigrated to Grenada.


Career

Having previously worked for three years as a writer on ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'', Cenac garnered public attention in The Doomed Planet comedy sketch in which he did an impression of then-senator
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, discussing possible campaign posters. In June 2008, Cenac was hired as a correspondent and writer on ''
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
''. After making several comedic appearances along with other correspondents, Cenac filed his first field report on July 21, 2008; titled "Baruch Obama," the report discussed Jewish voters' opinions of Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. He continued to integrate satirical Black-oriented material in his ''Daily Show'' segments, including "Rapper or Republican" until his final ''
Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' ...
'' appearance on December 13, 2012. In a July 2015 appearance on ''
WTF with Marc Maron ''WTF with Marc Maron'' is a weekly podcast and radio show hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. The show was launched in September 2009. The show is produced by Maron's former Air America co-worker Brendan McDonald. Background The show's ...
'', Cenac said that his departure from ''The Daily Show'' had stemmed in part from a heated argument he had with
Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...
over a June 2011 ''Daily Show'' bit about Republican Presidential candidate
Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist in the Republican Party. Cain graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He then earned a master's degree ...
. Despite this, he appeared on Stewart's final episode of ''Daily Show''. In October 2009, he worked with rapper
Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...
on the music video "Still a Boss", a parody of how the recession is affecting the rap community. Cenac costarred in '' Medicine for Melancholy'', an independent drama by
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...
released in 2008 that includes issues of African American identity and gentrification in San Francisco. Cenac's other film roles include supporting parts in ''
Sleepwalk with Me ''Sleepwalk with Me'' is a 2012 American independent comedy film co-written by, directed by, and starring Mike Birbiglia. It also stars Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane, and Cristin Milioti. Before making the film, Birbiglia had already ...
'' and ''
Hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
'', as well as a lead role in 2016's '' Jacqueline Argentine'' and 2017's festival hit, '' Fits and Starts''. Cenac played the voice of Lenny and Michael Johnson in the
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
animated series ''
Fanboy & Chum Chum ''Fanboy & Chum Chum'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Eric Robles for Nickelodeon. It is based on ''Fanboy'', an animated short created by Robles for Nickelodeon Animation Studio and Frederator Studios, that was bro ...
''. Cenac guest-starred on the
MC Frontalot Damian Alexander Hess (born December 3, 1973), better known by his stage name MC Frontalot, is an American rapper and web designer. He is widely credited as a pioneer of the nerdcore hip hop genre, blending elements of hip hop with themes from ne ...
album '' Solved''. Cenac's first hour-long comedy special, ''Comedy Person,'' premiered May 14, 2011, on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
. In October 2014,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
released Cenac's second comedy special, ''Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn''. This album was nominated at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album. In 2014, he guest-starred in an episode of the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series ''
BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated tragicomedy television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...
''. The following year, he appeared in a filmed segment with fellow comedians Rachel Feinstein and
Alex Karpovsky Alexander Karpovsky (born September 23, 1975) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and film editor. He is best known for his role as Raymond "Ray" Ploshansky on the HBO comedy drama series '' Girls'' (2012–17), for which he wa ...
on ''
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American news satire late-night talk show hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in the end of April 2014 on HBO and currently has ...
''. Cenac co-hosted four episodes of
The Bugle ''The Bugle'' is a satirical news podcast, created by John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman in 2007. It is currently hosted by Zaltzman and a rotating cast of co-hosts including Alice Fraser, Nish Kumar, Anuvab Pal, Hari Kondabolu, Tom Ballard, Tif ...
podcast with
Andy Zaltzman Andrew Zaltzman (born 6 October 1974) is a British comedian and statistician. His comedy largely deals in political and sport-related material. He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including '' Political Animal'', ''The Dep ...
in 2016; Zaltzman previously hosted alongside Oliver. Cenac released his third stand up album ''Furry Dumb Fighter'' in 2016 both digitally and on vinyl. It was recorded in Madison, WI. Cenac reports that the album title is meant to sound like "freedom fighter." The same year he starred in TBS sitcom ''
People of Earth ''People of Earth'' is an American science fiction sitcom television series created by David Jenkins about a support group for alien abductees, as well as the aliens who had abducted them. TBS ordered the pilot under the name ''The Group'' i ...
''. Cenac played the lead role of Ozzie Graham, a journalist writing about a support group for self-professed alien abductees. The show was cancelled after two seasons. In 2017 Cenac released a web-series titled ''aka Wyatt Cenac'' about his life as a crime-fighting vigilante in a gentrifying Brooklyn. Cenac's HBO docuseries, '' Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas'', premiered in April 2018. A second season began broadcasting on April 5, 2019. On June 7 of that year, the series was cancelled. In August 2021, he signed a deal with
Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios Inc. (abbreviated as CNS or CN Studios) is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the producti ...
and
Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...
.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cenac, Wyatt 1976 births African-American male comedians American male comedians American people of Grenadian descent American comedy writers American male film actors African-American stand-up comedians American stand-up comedians American male television actors American television writers American male television writers American male voice actors Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas alumni Living people University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Male actors from Dallas Male actors from Brooklyn Primetime Emmy Award winners Comedians from Brooklyn Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from Texas People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn People from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Comedians from Dallas