Paul Mecurio (born Paul Mercurio) is a comedian, actor, writer and producer. Mecurio has dozens of TV and film appearances and has won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award. Mecurio worked as an investment banker and mergers and acquisitions lawyer before he turned to stand-up comedy full time.
Mecurio was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island.[1][2] During his childhood, he worked at his mother's furniture store with his two siblings.[2]
Mecurio graduated from Providence College and from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.[2] He first started his career on Wall Street in New York City as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, and later as an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston.[citation needed]
While working on Wall Street, Mecurio attended a private stand-up comedy show by comedian Jay Leno. Mecurio, a comedy fan who had written some jokes for himself, handed 15 pages of his own material to Leno with the hope of selling some for him to use on television. Leno contacted him and asked for more; Mecurio was paid $50 for his first joke which Leno used on the show.[2]
Mecurio became a self-described "addict" to performing stand-up comedy. Shortly after doing stand-up as hobby while still on Wall Street, he had a seven-month absence from work to support his mother in Providence; after returning to New York, he resigned to focus on comedy. After struggling as a stand-up and becoming frustrated with the challenges of making a living, Mecurio returned to Wall Street investment banking, swearing off comedy and telling himself and his girlfriend that he would leave comedy for good. Seven months later, he began performing again.[2]
Mecurio dropped the "r" from his surname to distinguish himself from Australian actor and dancer Paul Mercurio, who had joined the same entertainment union before him.[3]
Paul is an Emmy & Peabody Award winning comedian for his work on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” making recurring appearances as a performer on “The Late Show,” other national shows and his own comedy specials. Mecurio was also a featured as a performer on The Daily Show and in The Daily Show segment, "Second Opinion," in which he skewered the medical profession playing an HMO representative with a less than sympathetic mindset. Paul also did the audience warm ups for the show's in studio taping.
Mecurio an accomplished actor. As an actor, Paul can currently be seen opposite Golden Globe Winner, Liev Schreiber in the film, “Chuck,” the story about journeyman boxer, Chuck Wepner, the real-life Rocky Balboa. He can be seen in the upcoming crime drama film “Johnny and Clyde,” starring Megan Fox.
Mecurio appears regularly as a commentator on news and sports outlets including, CNN, MSNBC, “CBS Sunday Morning,” Fox News, HLN and ESPN.
Mecurio has hosted his own shows for Comedy Central, HBO and CBS as well as his own talk show. He has appeared in his own Comedy Central and Showtime Specials, made several appearances on “The Late Show w/Stephen Colbert,” “The Daily Show,” "The CBS Late, Late Show," HBO, “The Tonight Show,“ “Conan,” ESPN, and Showtime.
Mecurio has made dozens of national television appearances as a recurring contributor on the major broadcast and cable networks including on such shows as the venerable “CBS Sunday Morning,” “CNN New Day,” “CNN Newsroom,” MSNBC, CBS News, NBC News, CBSN, CNBC, ESPN and ESPN +, Fox News, VH-1, “Dr. Drew,” “Katie Couric,” “Outnumbered,” “Kennedy,” “Showbiz Tonight,” “Viewpoint,” “Hannity,” “Fox and Friends,” HLN, “Real Story” and many more.
Mecurio has hosted several shows and pilots for Comedy Central, CBS, HBO and VH-1.
He is also a published essayist: “The New York Times Sunday Magazine.”
Mecurio has also made appearances in the prestigious New York Comedy Festival, The Montreal "Just for Laughs" Festival and the Glasgow/Edinburgh Comedy Festival.
Mecurio hosted, created, and was showrunner and executive producer for the HBO series Got No Game w/Paul Mecurio, a sports comedy show skewering with world of sports on and off the field.
that he co-created, and executive produced and in which he starred.[citation needed]
Mecurio hosted, co-created, and was showrunner and executive producer television pilot for Comedy Central's Sports Central, a sports comedy news show.
that he co-created, and executive produced and in which he starred.[citation needed]
Mecurio created, executive produced and starred in his hit, unique one-man Broadway show, “Paul Mecurio’s Permission to Speak” which was met with rave reviews and been nominated for the prestigious “Best One-Man Show” Broadway Alliance Award. The show will be returning to Broadway.
Mecurio currently hosts the hit, critically acclaimed podcast "Inside Out w/Paul Mecurio” on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, and Audioboom.