Saturday Night Live will kick off its landmark Season 50 with three new cast members. Emil Wakim, Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline were announced as the new featured players earlier this month and will be part of the new season that kicks off Sept. 28 on NBC. The new faces will replace Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast who left at the end of Season 49.
Wakim has been making the comedy rounds in New York City and on nationwide tours over the past few years. He’s appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and toured with some heavy-hitters, but SNL will be his first major TV gig.
Here’s what you need to know about the up-and-coming comedian joining comedy’s biggest show for what is sure to be a memorable season.
Who is Emil Wakim?
Emil Wakim is a stand-up comedian who will be a new featured player in the historic 50th season of SNL. Wakim is the first Lebanese-American cast member on the sketch series and the only new male cast member for the upcoming season.
Wakim does not have any other acting credits to his name, though he was a production assistant on the Michael K. Williams show Black Market on Vice TV. While he hasn’t been on screen very much, Makim has been making waves in the comedy scene. He made his first stand-up appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2022 and won the New Face of Comedy award at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal that same year.
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In the years leading up to him landing a featured role on SNL, Wakim has opened for big comedians like Roy Wood Jr., Nikki Glaser and Neal Brennan.
How old is Emil Wakim?
Wakim was born on March 11, 1998, making him 26 years old at the time he joined SNL.
Where is Emil Wakim from?
Wakim was born in Chicago, which is a hotbed for comedic talent thanks to the Second City improv school, which has fed SNL many of its previous cast members, including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Dan Aykroyd, and many more. However, Wakim grew up across the state border in Bloomington, Indiana. The comedian now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
What has Emil Wakim been in?
Wakim has been making a name for himself on comedy stages and SNL will be his first regular TV gig. Prior to SNL, he proclaimed to Vulture that doing stand-up on The Tonight Show is the biggest thing he’s done in his career.
“I was new to New York and desperately needed a credit or something to feel validated and be able to get booked on things. It’s still crazy to me that I survived it. Just the anticipation leading up to the taping was crazy. I was so anxious, it didn’t even register. I’m shocked I could fall asleep at all the night before.”
What kind of comedian is Emil Wakim?
Wakim is a long-form joke comedian. He talks a lot about his Lebanese identity and growing up with immigrant parents in his comedy sets.
When it comes to career goals, Wakim told Vulture that he most admires Ramy Youssef‘s career and just wants to work on projects that he cares about. His ultimate financial goal is to be able to own a house with a driveway and a garage but still be able to tour and do comedy shows around the country.
“I also think it’s cool that a ton of comics are moving to non–L.A. or N.Y. cities at a certain level. Like Chad Daniels, Kyle Kinane, Rory Scovel — being able to tour whenever you want to for your own fans and also have a house and own land?! That seems nuts,” he said.
How to follow Emil Wakim online?
You can follow Emil on Instagram at @emilwakim and X at @emilwakim. The comedian also posts videos on TikTok, with the same username.
