1988 or 1989 (age 35–36)[1] Queens, New York, U.S.
Medium
Stand-up
film
television
Years active
2007–present
Children
1
Ricky Velez is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He co-starred with his best friend, Pete Davidson, in The King of Staten Island (2021), which he also helped write and produce. His first stand-up special, Ricky Velez: Here's Everything, was released on HBO in October 2021.
After graduating, Velez attended college for less than a year before he returned to Queens and tried to join the military.[2] He was denied to the military and started working various odd jobs, including for his friend's carpet company, where he would lay carpet for red carpet events.[2][5][3]
Career
After returning to Queens at age 19, Velez started working for the Broadway Comedy Club, where he would take tickets while performing stand-up each night.[5][7] He was dealing with depression at the time and felt he needed "the instant gratification that stand-up gives".[2] During this time, he met Pete Davidson and would later become roommates with him.[3]
In 2014, Velez won the New York's Funniest Stand-Up competition at the New York Comedy Festival.[2] As a result, he was able to land a role as one of the contributors for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (2015–2016).[2][8] He has said that the experience on the show taught him that he did not like making daily television.[2] Velez has played guest roles in several television shows, including one episode in Crashing in 2018.[9]
Velez collaborated with his long-time best friend Pete Davidson on The King of Staten Island, a semi-biographical film about Davidson by Judd Apatow that was released in 2021.[3] Velez co-starred with Davidson and was also a writer and producer on the film.[3][10] Velez was cast in June 2019 after Davidson asked him to audition for the part of one of his close friends who is a bad influence on Davidson's character.[6][3][4] Velez was excited to be able to deal with topics such as mental health in the film.[3][11] Velez was also signed by William Morris Endeavor in 2021.[12]
Judd Apatow helped Velez release his first stand-up special later that year on HBO, Ricky Velez: Here's Everything, which was executive produced by Apatow and Pete Davidson.[2] The special deals with topics such as mental health and his family.[13] Velez described the special as "me introducing myself to the world".[5] He had attempted to film the special at his high school alma mater, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, but the board of education did not allow it.[2] It was eventually filmed over two shows at Brooklyn Steel on August 28, 2021, with most of the footage used in the special from the second show.[7] Velez had toured for five months prior to filming to work on the material during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The special received positive reviews, with Jason Zinoman in The New York Times describing it as a "solid introduction to his spiky, propulsive comedy".[14][13]
In 2023, Velez portrayed Alex in the television comedy show Single Drunk Female, where he is the former boss and eventual boyfriend of Sam, portrayed by Sofia Black-D'Elia.[15]
Personal life
When Velez was 21, he became roommates with Pete Davidson in Brooklyn Heights.[2] Velez has said that period of his life was fun but unhealthy.[2]
Velez's mom died in 2016, a few months before The Nightly Show was cancelled, which led to a tough period in his life.[2] He was able to use his stand-up performances, especially at the New York Comedy Club, as part of his healing process.[2] During the pandemic, Velez started attending therapy when he did not have stand-up as an emotional outlet.[5]
Velez has a son, born in 2018, who can be seen playing guitar at the end of his 2021 HBO comedy special.[3][2]
