Joey Diaz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joey Diaz
Diaz in 2015
Born	José Antonio Díaz (1963-02-19) February 19, 1963 (age 62) Havana, Cuba
Citizenship	United States
Occupation	Stand-up comedian actor podcaster
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Terrie Clark ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2

José Antonio Díaz (born February 19, 1963), known as Joey Diaz, is a Cuban-American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. He started his comedy career in 1991. Later, he moved to Los Angeles in 1995. There, he began acting in movies and TV shows. Some of his roles were in BASEketball, Analyze That, Taxi, Rules Don't Apply, ER, and Maron.

In 2010, Joey Diaz became more widely known. This happened after he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. From 2012 to 2020, he hosted his own podcast called The Church of What's Happening Now. He hosted it with Lee Syatt. Since then, he has hosted another podcast called Uncle Joey's Joint.

Early Life and Growing Up

José Antonio Díaz was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1963. He moved to the United States with his mother when he was three. This was shortly after his father passed away. He grew up in Manhattan, New York City. At age ten, he moved to North Bergen, New Jersey. At that time, he and his mother were the only Cuban-American residents there.

Joey's mother ran a bar and a successful business. He was raised Catholic. As a child, he liked learning stories about Francis of Assisi and Saint Michael. He went to different schools in Manhattan and New Jersey. He graduated from high school in 1982. He even won awards for performing arts in high school.

His mother died when he was sixteen. Joey was then cared for by several families in North Bergen. He later said about twenty people helped him. During his teenage years, he sometimes got into trouble. The humor of his friends greatly influenced his future comedy career. He also enjoyed the comedy of Richard Pryor.

After high school, Diaz moved to Colorado. He later returned to New Jersey for a while. In June 1985, he went back to Colorado. He studied economics at the University of Colorado Boulder. He didn't enjoy college and left. He then worked selling roofing.

Comedy Career

Starting Stand-up Comedy

After watching the 1988 movie Punchline, Joey Diaz decided to try comedy. He took a stand-up comedy course in Denver. Before his first show, he worked as a doorman at a comedy club.

He performed his first comedy routine on June 18, 1991. This was at the Comedy Works in Denver. He later won the Beck's Amateur Comedy Competition. He was declared the winner after another contestant was caught using jokes from Jerry Seinfeld.

In 1995, Diaz moved from Colorado to Los Angeles, California. He wanted to become a successful stand-up comedian. He used his personal challenges as motivation. He wanted to make his daughter proud.

Comedy Specials and Appearances

In April 2012, Joey Diaz released his stand-up special, It's Either You or the Priest. This special became very popular. It reached number one on the Billboard comedy charts in the UK and Canada. It also topped the charts on iTunes.

In December 2016, Diaz released his first one-hour comedy special. It was called Sociably Unacceptable. This special was available on streaming services like Seeso and Comedy Dynamics.

Acting in Film and Television

Early Acting Roles

In 1998, Joey Diaz got a chance to act in a TV show pilot. He played a bartender in a series called Bronx County. A talent scout from CBS saw him perform comedy. The show was not picked up, but it led to more acting jobs. He got a role as a referee in his first movie, BASEketball (1998). He also appeared in the TV series NYPD Blue. In 2000, he was in an independent film called You Got Nothin' (2003). Parts of Analyze That (2002), which starred Diaz, were filmed in New Jersey.

Major Film and TV Roles

Diaz's acting career grew with roles in Law & Order. He also appeared in major films like Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Taxi (2004). After that, he acted in The Longest Yard (2005). He got this role after meeting Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. He created a funny audition tape for the part. The producers liked his tape and even used the name he gave his character, Big Tony Tedesco. His part was originally very small, but his audition helped make it bigger.

In 2005, Diaz said he wanted to continue being a character actor. He felt it was a dream come true. Around this time, he also prepared a one-man comedy show. It was called Larceny & Laughter. The show featured stories about his childhood in North Bergen.

In 2007, Diaz appeared in four episodes of My Name is Earl. He played Joey the Candy Bar Criminal. The show's producers saw him in The Longest Yard and wanted him for the role. That year, he also hosted funny promotions for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He played a character named Joey Karate. Diaz was proud of his role in the 2009 TV movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas. It allowed children in North Bergen to see him act.

In 2011, Diaz appeared in an episode of The Mentalist. He was also in the film Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star. Around 2011, fans helped him raise money for a documentary. It was about his childhood in North Bergen. The film, Where I Got My Balls From, was released in 2012. He made it to honor the people who helped him growing up.

In 2013, Diaz appeared in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He also played Robert De Niro's coach in the film Grudge Match. In 2014, he was in an episode of Maron. In 2017, Diaz started working on a show about one of his cats for Animal Planet.

Podcasts

In 2009, Joey Diaz met comedian Felicia Michaels. She asked him to co-host a new comedy podcast. Beauty and Da Beast started in August 2010. The podcast helped more people come to Diaz's stand-up shows. The podcast ended in November 2012.

On September 2, 2012, Diaz started his own podcast. It was called The Church of What's Happening Now. He hosted it with Lee Syatt. Episodes were available as audio and on YouTube. The YouTube channel gained many subscribers.

On October 5, 2020, Diaz launched a new podcast series. It is called Uncle Joey's Joint. This happened after he moved back to New Jersey from California. Lee Syatt often appears as a guest on this new podcast.

Personal Life

Joey Diaz has been married twice. He married Terrie Clark on November 25, 2009. They have one daughter together.

Filmography

Films

Television

Comedy Specials

Documentaries

Video Games

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Joey Diaz para niños