Christopher Paul Anthony Distefano (born August 26, 1984) is an American comedian. Primarily a stand-up comedian, he began his career in entertainment on MTV and MTV2's shows Guy Code and Girl Code. His first hour-long standup special, Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist, was released in 2019 by Comedy Central. His second special, Speshy Weshy, premiered on Netflix in May 2022. Distefano co-hosts Hey Babe! podcast with Sal Vulcano from Impractical Jokers and hosts several podcasts, Chrissy Chaos and co-hosts ‘History Hyenas’ with comedian Yannis Pappas.

Early life Distefano, who is of mostly German descentAncestry: Chris, who has long identified himself as a proud Italian-American, recently found out that his family lineage is mostly German, Keith and The Girl, 20 February 2019 (he has some Italian and Irish ancestry),"I am as white as toilet paper (Italian, Irish and German)", Chron, March 14, 2018 grew up in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens and attended Archbishop Molloy High School in the Briarwood area of Queens . He went to St. Joseph's College where he played basketball and studied psychology; he graduated in 2006. Distefano was recruited to play for St. Joseph's College Brooklyn's D-III basketball team in 2002. He was the team's lead scorer, and was inducted into the college's Hall of Fame in 2018.

Distefano earned a doctorate in physical therapy from New York Institute of Technology in Manhattan, New York in 2010. He was a pediatric physical therapist until 2013 when he began pursuing his career in comedy full-time.

Career

Distefano began performing stand-up in August 2009. He hosted the 2010 Fencing Masters on the SNY network and Elite 8 of the 2011 and 2012 March Madness comedy competitions at the comedy club Carolines on Broadway. He headlined Carolines Breakout Artist Series and was selected as a finalist in the 2011 NY Comedy Festival. He also performed standup at venues including New York Comedy Club, Comedy Cellar, Gotham Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, and the Laugh Lounge.

In 2012, Distefano joined the cast MTV's Guy Code, which was in its second season. In 2013, he joined the cast of Girl Code. He appeared in episodes of other MTV shows including Guy Court, Guy Code vs. Girl Code, Off the Bat, and The Challenge. He was a frequent guest on the Opie with Jim Norton show during that time. Distefano performed on the Late Show with David Letterman in June 2013. In 2014, his first half-hour special was released as part of Comedy Central's The Half Hour.

After appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Distefano began his first national U.S. tour in September 2015 with Monster Energy Outbreak Presents. He co-starred in the 2015 IFC series Benders with Andrew Schulz. He was one of two announcers on Season 2 of Netflix's Ultimate Beastmaster, which debuted on the streaming service on December 15, 2017.

Distefano was in seven television pilots which did not get picked up, including a CBS-produced show based on his own life called Distefano. He co-starred in the web series Bay Ridge Boys alongside fellow comic Yannis Pappas, with whom he co-hosted the weekly history podcast History Hyenas, which was launched in February 2018. Distefano regularly performs and tours globally. In January 2019, his first hour standup special Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist premiered on Comedy Central, which included a personal welcome on stage by Chazz Palminteri. The special was part of a deal he made with Comedy Central in December 2018, which included the series Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano, and at least two series in development. That also included his weekly podcast Stand-Up with Chris Distefano, launched in April 2019.

In February 2022, Distefano sold out his first performance at Beacon Theatre in Manhattan. He then sold out his first two shows at the Gramercy Theatre a month later, during the shows he recorded his second special, Speshy Weshy.

Distefano, an avid sports fan, has hosted episodes of shows including MLB's Off The Bat and MSG's The Brackets. He was invited by the New York Mets to throw the first game pitch in 2021, and he set off the Vegas Golden Knights' pre-game siren alongside friend and fellow comedian Andrew Santino in March 2022. In early April, Distefano was featured on The Pat McAfee Show, hosted by Pat McAfee.

In 2025, Distefano participated in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event which Human Rights Watch characterized as an attempt by the Saudi government to whitewash its human rights abuses. He expressed hesitation in his decision in two podcast appearances released in the summer of 2025, but ultimately chose to go, indicating that his recent purchase of a house was a deciding factor.

Personal life Distefano dated comedian Carly Aquilino from 2010 to 2014. Distefano has two children and a stepson with Jasmin Canuelas, whom he has been dating since 2015. They were married on June 21, 2026.Jim Norton and Sam Roberts, July 9, 2019, SiriusXMInstagram live on Staten Island. On a 2026 podcast Distefano stated that he had become a fan of Sunderland AFC.

Filmography

Television Year Title Role Notes 2012–15Guy Code Himself From season 2 onGirl Code 2013Guy Code Honors TV special from 2013 Comic-ConAin't That America Co-host alongside Lil Duval.Charlemagne & FriendsVMA pre-party on MTVGuy CourtThe Bracket Co-host alongside Yannis Pappas 2014 Off The Bat From The MLB Fan Cave Co-host alongside Melanie Iglesias 2015Benders Anthony Pucello 8 episodes 2017Ultimate Beastmaster Himself Co-host alongside Tiki Barber (season 2)DistefanoChrisUnaired CBS pilot2021Backyard Bar WarsHimselfHost2023Super Maximum Retro Show

Film Year Title Role2019Ode to JoyStaten Island Meathead

Discography Comedy specials Size 38 Waist (2019) Speshy Weshy (2022) It's Just Unfortunate (2025)

Podcasts History Hyenas with Yannis Pappas (2018–2021, 2024-present) Stand-Up with Chris Distefano (2019) Hey Babe! with Sal Vulcano (2020–2024) Chrissy Chaos (2021–present) Teach Me Daddy with Matteo Lane (2024)

References

External links

St. Joseph's University Hall of Fame bio