Robert Kelly is an American stand-up comedian, actor, radio personality, and podcast host. Kelly frequently performs at the

Comedy Cellar The Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan where many top New York City comedians perform; it is sometimes referred to as the "Harvard of comedy clubs". Operations It was founded in 1982 by then-stand-up comedian, and current televisio ...

. He co-hosts ''The Bonfire'' on

Sirius XM Satellite Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merger ...

, often appeared on ''

The Opie and Anthony Show ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...

'', and has also appeared on ''

Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...

'', ''

Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn ''Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' is a comedy talk show that aired on Comedy Central from December 9, 2002 to November 4, 2004. The show featured host Colin Quinn and a panel of comedian guests, discussing politics, current events, and social ...

'' and ''

Premium Blend ''Premium Blend'' was a stand-up comedy series created and directed by Paul Miller that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005. In 2005 the show was changed, and now known as " Live at Gotham". The show ...

''. He rose to fame in part as Louis C.K.'s brother in

Louie Louie may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Louie'' (American TV series), comedy drama television series created by and starring comedian Louis C.K. * ''Louie'' (French TV series), animated series about a young rabbit who draws pictures which ...

Early life

Kelly was born in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somervill ...

, three miles away from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He was raised in a three-bedroom house with thirteen family members. He is of Irish ancestry, and was raised Catholic. Kelly is a self-confessed addict. He began drinking at age ten before he quit alcohol and drugs at fifteen. He has remained sober since. Kelly was arrested as a teenager, and spent time in a

youth detention center In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...

Career

Kelly discovered stand-up comedy in 1987 while attending the International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous, after which he began to listen to comedy albums. He performed his first stand-up routine on stage in 1991 at a school talent competition as part of a sketch comedy troupe, Al and the Monkeys. His plan was to enroll at

Bunker Hill Community College Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1973 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, BHCC provides higher education and j ...

in Boston to study fine arts, but gained interest in pursuing comedy and quit shortly before he was to earn an associate degree. After Doug Bell quit, they were replaced by

Dane Cook Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He is known for his use of observational comedy, observational, often blue comedy, vulgar, and sometimes black comedy, dark comedy. He released six comedy ...

. His first solo performance took place at Catch a Rising Star in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, which his family attended. Before taking on stand-up comedy full-time, Kelly worked several jobs including a waiter, delivering flowers, and working with juvenile delinquents. After his comedy troupe split in the early 1990s, Kelly did not perform stand-up for two years. Kelly lived in Los Angeles for a short period of time until he was encouraged to return to the East coast by

Patrice O'Neal Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal (December 7, 1969 – November 29, 2011) was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his stand-up comedy career and his regular guest appearances on the talk show '' Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' and th ...

. In 1998, Kelly was spotted by an agent through his acting work and went to New York City to further his career. Robert Kelly at Comedy Cellar in 2005

In 2004, Kelly made his first of many appearances on the ''

Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...

'' radio show. In 2005, Kelly toured with comedians

Gary Gulman Gary Lewis Weston Gulman (born July 17, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian. He was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show ''Last Comic Standing'' in its second and third seasons. He released his first CD, '' Conversations with Inanimate O ...

, and

Jay Davis Jay Davis (born October 3, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois) is a former professional baseball player. He played seven seasons as an outfielder with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. Davis had the longest career of a foreign playe ...

on the cross-country tour entitled ''

Tourgasm ''Tourgasm'' is an American documentary television series that aired on HBO in 2006. The series follows the 2005 30-day 20-show stand-up comedy tour featuring Dane Cook and three of his best friends in the industry: Robert Kelly, Gary Gulman, ...

''. After tearing (ACL) and straining (MCL) ligaments in his knee, he managed to finish the tour which began airing on HBO as a comedy documentary series in June 2006. Kelly later toured with Cook and Al Del Bene as part of Cook's Global Thermo Comedy Tour: Isolated Incident. In 2005 and 2006, Kelly accompanied fellow comedian

Colin Quinn Colin Edward Quinn (born June 6, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He first gained widespread attention for his work as a cast member and writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2000, and he became known for anchor ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, where they each performed stand-up for American troops stationed in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. Kelly was a part of the New Jersey

Bamboozle Festival The Bamboozle was an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and was scheduled for a 2023 revival in Atlantic City by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event ...

in 2007 as part of the Pass the Mic Comedy Tour on May 6. Kelly also appeared in the 2008 comedy ''

Ghost Town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

'' as the ghost of a fat construction worker. That same year, Kelly also had a small voice part in the 2008 video game ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...

'' as Luca Silvestri, a member of the Pegorino crime family and associate of Ray Boccino, who accompanied the

main character A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

in a mission. From 2010 to 2015, Kelly starred as

Louis CK Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, actor and filmmaker. C.K. has won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Act ...

's brother Robbie during the first, fourth, and fifth seasons of the FX sitcom ''

''. Kelly rated his performance on the show as among the best of his acting career. Kelly started his podcast ''You Know What Dude!'' in April 2010 on RiotCast, a podcast network that he co-owns. It is recorded weekly in a studio at the

. Kelly described the podcast as "a true comic hang". It regularly features Kelly curating a discussion with three to five comedians, with an emphasis on honesty and "ball-busting". His regular guests include

Dan Soder Daniel Erwin Soder (born June 24, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and radio personality. He is best known for his character Mafee on the Showtime drama series '' Billions'' and as the former co-host of ''The Bonfire'' with fellow ...

Joe List Joseph Albert List (born April 6, 1982) is an American comedian and actor. Early life Joseph Albert List was born in Whitman, Massachusetts, on April 6, 1982. He began performing stand-up comedy in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2000, shortly after ...

, and Luis J. Gomez. The show was produced until September 2014 by Kelly Fastuca, and has since been produced by Chris Scopo. In 2012, a comedy book by Kelly, Burr, and Joe DeRosa entitled ''Cheat: A Man's Guide to Infidelity'' was released. The book followed a short film that the three wrote named ''Cheat''. On August 8, 2014, Kelly released the hour-long special ''Live at the Village Underground'', directed by

Bobcat Goldthwait Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait (born May 26, 1962) is an American comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter. He is known for his black comedy stand-up act, delivered through an energetic stage persona with an unusual raspy and high-pitched ...

. It premiered on Comedy Central in January 2015. Kelly co-starred in ''

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by the English singer Ian Dury. It was originally released as a Stiff Records single on 26 August 1977. The song was released under the single name "Ian Dury", but three members of the Blockheads ...

'' for two seasons, beginning in 2015. It was his first acting role as a regular cast member, and he received formal drum lessons for the part. in 2023, Kelly began co-hosting the podcast, ''The Regz'', a spin-off from his ''YKWD'' podcast, alongside comedians Joe List, Luis J. Gomez, and Dan Soder.

Personal life

Kelly and his wife Dawn have one son, Max. In 2015, the family moved from New York City to

Westchester, New York Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous coun ...

Filmography

Television

Film

Video games

Discography

* ''Robert Kelly: Live at the Village Underground'' (2015) * ''For The Love Of Comedy'' (2013) * ''

Just the Tip ''Just the Tip'' is the second album from Irish-American comedian Robert Kelly. It was released on April 8, 2008. Description The name comes from a joke on the album, about Kelly's preferred sexual intercourse with a woman. The cover art makes ...

'' (2008) * ''Robert Kelly Live'' (2003)

References

External links

Robert Kelly
*
Robert Kelly on Talk Radio Meltdown 1-5-12
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Robert (Comedian) Living people American stand-up comedians American male comedians American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent Male actors from Boston Male actors from New York City People from Medford, Massachusetts American comedy podcasters 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Comedians from New York City 21st-century American comedians Stand Up! Records artists Year of birth missing (living people) Comedians from Massachusetts