American Stand-up Comedian & Actor

Emo Philips | Biography

Voiced in animated TV shows such as 'Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist,' & 'Home Movies' 

• By Yunil Tamrakar
• Update : February 10, 2022

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Emo Philips is a stand-up comedian well known for his comedic persona, which involves paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone.

Short Bio

Philip Soltanec, better known by his stage name Emo Philips, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer, born on 7 February 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Philips started performing as a comedian at 20. Since then, he has had award-winning comedy albums, multiple cable specials, such as an hour-long one on HBO, and numerous appearances on network television.

He has also voiced in animated TV shows such as Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995-1996), Home Movies (1999-2004), and Slacker Cats (2007-2009).

Moreover, Philips has appeared in several films, most notably as the table-saw demonstrator in UHF. His most recent credit was as the voice of Meeks Servant in the 2020 animated movie Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe.

Stand Up Comedy

Emo Philips is well-known for his distinct appearance and on-stage antics, portraying himself as a fidgety, probably mentally ill, neurotic, yet very intelligent guy with a coleslaw addiction. He began his comedy career in 1976, at the age of 20, in Chicago. In an interview with Leo Weekly in 2015, he mentioned he was inspired by comedians who performed nothing physical.

Philips has delivered as many as 7000 stand-up comedy shows worldwide, including a two-week run in the West End of London. He is still known for his captivating presence after decades in the comedy business, even after doing the late-night circuit, landing minor film roles, and recording specials.

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After a hiatus in the 1990s, Philips began to feature more frequently about 2001. His appearance was radically altered, with his distinctive bob and 1970s casual disco look being replaced with a more "new millennium" look. 

Philips presented the same comedic performance but with a considerably more subdued demeanor. He sported salt & pepper spiked grey hair and dressed in active black sportswear. He was still fidgety, but he wasn't carrying strange items or undressing like he used to.

However, Philips only kept this look for a few years, retiring it in 2005 and reappearing on the comedy circuit with his old look and character around 2010. Since then, he has had a significant comeback in popularity. In addition, Philips has been a featured performer on numerous national comedy tours, including the Moon tower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas, and frequent appearances on 24/7 Comedy.

As described by a 2017 article by Chicago Tribune, Philips has an uncanny ability to disguise the darkest material with the lightest delivery, heightening the underlying bleakness. For example, in one of his performances, Philips exclaimed, "You've got your whole life ahead of you!" when he discovered a 26-year-old audience member in the front row. "My cousin died at 26," he added as a friendly, casual aside.

Philips also uses a way of making each of his punchlines seem like a revelation, shifting his voice from high to high-pitched at main points and over pronouncing difficult syllables. 

Moreover, he frequently moves from sitting to standing positions during the performance, strolling from end to end on stage, fiddling with his hair or clothing, and even partially undressing while delivering punchlines. Also, his self-deprecating and sarcastic humor is frequently delivered in a modulated falsetto.

He has released three comedy albums. His first album, E=MO², was released in 1985. He won the 1985 'New Music Award' for best comedy album for E=mo2, which was recorded live at Caroline's in Manhattan, New York City. The album was later re-released on a single CD with his album Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre.

After two years, Philips released his second album, Live From The Hasty Pudding Theatre. Likewise, his third album, Emo, was released in 2001, 14 years after his second album.

Weird Al

"Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor best known for his comedic songs. Weird Al and many others have regarded Philips as one of the funniest people on the planet. He was also described as "the best joke writer in America" by Jay Leno.

Philips was also featured in two episodes of Weird Al's TV series titled The Weird Al Show. However, the show only continued for one season from September to December 1997. 

In addition to that, Philips has appeared in other credits of Weird Al: UHF (movie 1989), as Joe Earley, 'Weird Al' Yankovic: It's All About (music video 1999), 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (video 2003).

 In 2018, Yankovic and Philips embarked on Yankovic's Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, which took them across the United States. 
 

In 2021, Weird Al announced the North American tour dates for 2022, where Philips will be the opening act. Yankovic refers to the tour as "The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour," On the six-month tour, 133 destinations are planned for the team. Moreover, the Canton Palace Theatre event on 17 May 2022 is completely sold out.

Wife

Philips has been married to Kipleigh Brown since 5 November 2011. However, he was previously married to Judy Tenuta and Carmi Lynn Raynsford. 

His current wife, Kipleigh Brown, is a screenwriter and actress who wrote the ninth episode of the award-winning web series What Ships Are For. Brown has also appeared in other movies and TV series such as Design (movie 2002), Star Trek: Enterprise (TV series 2004), Yesterday Was a Lie (movie 2009), Yesterday Was a Lie (TV series 2011), Star Trek Continues (TV series 2014-2017), and more.

Did You Know?

• In a 2005 online poll, one of his jokes was chosen as the best religious joke ever.  
• He was ranked number 54 on Channel 4's top 100 greatest stand-ups and number 50 on E4's 100 Greatest Comedians.