Paul Elia traded a near-finished English degree and a path to law school for a microphone — and turned out to be very good at it. The Iraqi-Assyrian comic from Detroit has racked up over 250 million views online, more than a dozen sketch appearances on Conan, and a debut special, Detroit Player, that he dropped on YouTube on his own terms. The Comics Unseen sat down with him to talk heritage, hustle, and the long road from Wayne State to The Comedy Store.
Questions and Answers With Hop For Pop
Question: You were on track for law school before pivoting to stand-up. That’s not a casual switch—what pulled you toward comedy, and was there a defining moment where you knew this was it?
Paul: I was a stand-in for Michael Imperioli on the ABC series Detroit 187. We were shooting right in my hometown. That experience made me fall in love with entertainment. When the show wrapped, I moved to LA and lived in a 1 bedroom aparremnt with a white rapper names Skripture.
Question: You hired a clown coach to make your standup better. This is one of the most unique approaches to comedy I’ve ever heard. How did you come up with the idea?
Paul: I took a clown class and really fell in love with the art of clown. I respect clown. My clown coach, Chad Damiani, helped me find more moments of physical comedy so I embraced it. People are sleeping on clowns .
Question: You worked late night gigs, did roles in movies and shows, and then produced your own shows. It must have been so physically exhausting. How did you handle all that?
Paul: My faith in God. Simple as that.
Paul Talking About His Gigs
Question: Congratulations on your specials Detroit Player and Good Son which are fabulous. Just curious, they’re available for free on Youtube. Why didn’t you sell them to any streamers? Is it because, comedy should be easily accessible to everyone?
Paul: None of the streamers wanted them so that’s why I chose YouTube. Or maybe they did and I just didnt know? Either way no one called me so… yeah!
Question: You worked with Conan O’Brien for three years and he’s known for elevating anything with his presence. What did you take away from that experience, both professionally and creatively?
Paul: He’s just so effortlessly hilarious. He would show up to rehearsal exhausted and disheveled, guitar in hand, run through his monologue jokes and fix them on the spot, cracking everyone up while he still looked half asleep. Watching that up close taught me what a true professional really looks like: someone who can be effortlessly hilarious on command. That standard stuck with me.
Question: There have been conversations about pushbacks and even threats from within your own community. How did you navigate that and did it ever influence how you approach sensitive material?
Paul: In the beginning it was hard, I wanted my community’s approval. The Chaldean community can be very protective of its image, and there were people who weren’t happy. Some took it far enough to make threats, but I held firm and didn’t pull the material. I think the people who threatened me distracted and forgot so I was never attacked. What I learned is the people who stick around become a much more loyal fanbase than you’d ever get by playing it safe.
Concluding Questions
Question: Who are your standup idols and who do you look up to and why?
Paul: Dave Chappelle is probably my top comic right now. The storytelling and patience he has on stage is on another level. I love Wanda Sykes too. One of my all-time favorites is Brody Stevens. He was one of the first comics I saw live who gave me goosebumps. My list is long, but I love each comic for different reasons. The common thread is physical ability, voice intonation, and storytelling. When a comedian commands all three, that’s when it becomes something special.
Question: Who are the new talents that are catching your eyes, and a word of advice for anyone who would like to pursue standup comedy?
Answer: I’d say the comics that I think are going to pop off this year would be Nataly Aukar, Malik Elassal and Jason Cheny.
You can check out our interview with Stephan Dyer too!
