Joe Pera's Comedic Career Orbits His Age Mystery And Character Comedy
Over the past few years, Joe Pera has carved out a simple yet unorthodox niche of comedy acts for himself. His comedic approach is central to his subdued way of getting his audience to laugh is his tone of speech that resembles a grandfatherly figure in love with sweaters.
Still, the most exciting aspect is that his age in itself is a mystery.
Who is Joe Pera?
The American comedian was born in Buffalo, New York on July 24, 1988.
He started his professional journey in comedy during his time studying film at Ithaca College. He participated in college stand-up competitions and even won them three-times. Later, he moved to New York and started persuing comedy participating in open microphone nights.Â
From the year 2016, the character comedian's career moved on to the upward trajectory with his popular Adult Swim infomercials such as 'Joe Pera Talks You To Sleep,' and 'Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree' created under the banner of Chestnut Walnut —which was founded by him and Conner O'Malley.
And in 2018, Pera and Chestnut Walnut would develop his most popular show, Joe Pera Talks WIth You. The show's primary character, a fictionalized version of himself, is widely famous among his fans.
The character is a middle school choir teacher who shares fascinating insights about everyday matters such as grocery shopping, iron, sleeping, and everything that may be counted as mundane.Â
The Ithaca College graduate's version of comedy has also been boosted by his appearances in popular talk shows such as Late Night With Seth Meyers, Conan, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.Â
Joe Pera's Age is a Deliberate Mystery
From his appearances in front of the cameras, he inevitably tries to sound much older than he looks. It can safely be stated that it is all a part of the act. To make his acts even more appealing, Joe insists on keeping his age under wraps.
The age mystery is so pivotal in his spectacled face, cozy sweaters, and endearingly sincere style of delivery that the up-and-coming standup artist has put up a form on his official website to encourage his fans to guess his age.
Upon clicking his website, you will be presented with a picture of Pera's in which he is seen donning a white sweater. Under the picture, there is a presence of two rectangular texts box: one of which consists of the phrase, "Guess My Age."Â Â Â
Joe Pera's Website's Homepage (Photo Source:Â Joepera.com)
In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Joe even revealed that he thought it was funny to see what people guessed. He further added that the oldest guesses he has received on the website range from upper 30's to lower 40's.
The outlet further announced that they knew Joe's real age; however, with explicit instructions from Joe, they are obliged not to disclose it. Joe apparently wants the guessing game to be a fun sport for everyone else.Â
Even on his social media handles, Joe likes to play with the audience's curiosity. His bio on Twitter reads, "People say I remind them of their grandfather."Â
Major Outlets Report That Joe is In His Early '30s
Major outlets such as Deadline and The Guardian have also taken a shot at disclosing his age, but without Joe's voluntary support, no one can say for sure.
The guesses made by both of the outlets mentioned above are in the same ballpark, though. In 2019, The Guardian reported Joe as "a 30-year-old comedian with the voice and mannerisms of someone three times his age."
To everyone in the UK who asked- Season 2 of 'Joe Pera Talks with You' will be available this Friday.
(on @Channel4 /@AdultSwimUK ) pic.twitter.com/3FSBgK3PNw — Joe Pera (@JosephPera) February 26, 2020
Along the same lines, in July 2020, Deadline reported that Joe was "a New Yorker in his early '30s." Regardless of his age, both of these mainstream outlets hold Joe in high regard concerning the comfortable niche he has created.Â
Joe Pera is a Cozy Sweater in Human Form
Despite existing in the business of making people laugh, Joe's approach to comedy is surprisingly heartwarming. To the extent that some outlets also call him "a cozy sweater in human form."Â
There is ample reason behind why he is named that way, starting with the fact that he developed an entire television series around the premise that he could make people fall asleep to his act.
If you haven't watched it, you should check out Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep and Joe Pera Talks You Back to Sleep.
Not just that, he recently poured his artistic genius into a book entitled, 'A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape.'Â
Although the title is pretty self-explanatory, the book is somewhat of a guide to relax, recharge, and rejoin the world outside of the bathroom.Â
If you regularly hide out in the bathroom, I wrote a bathroom book you can read while doing it:
"A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape'@josephbennett00 illustrated & out in spring but you can preorder here: https://t.co/yc45B8GxBj pic.twitter.com/iaVN0rjhSF — Joe Pera (@JosephPera) September 28, 2020
Regardless of his age, Joe Pera is a comedy genius who has managed to differentiate himself in the contemporary world of comedy and create his original style. Kudos to him!