Is Harris Wittels Jewish?

Harris Wittels, of the television show "Parks & Recreation," was Jewish. Wittels was born in Houston, Texas. He was the son of Dr. Ellison Wittels and Maureen (née Davidson) Wittels. Wittels had one older sister, voiceover actress Stephanie Wittels.

In March 2007 Harris Wittels celebrated his bar mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El in Houston, Texas across the street from Rice University. Wittels attended High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and graduated from Emerson College in 2006 with a degree in television/video production.

Wittels got his comedic start on the Sarah Silverman Program at 22-years-old. Silverman discovered him while he was doing stand up comedy. He wrote the book, "Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty."

In a November 19, 2014 interview on the podcast, You Made It Weird, Wittels candidly discussed his personal life and history of drug addiction with host Pete Holmes. He said he had done drugs recreationally since he was 12. He said his drug usage got "out of hand" because of a breakup with a woman he felt was "perfect" for him in every way, except that she and her family were Scientologists, which he described as a "deal-breaker." He said he began to rely on Oxycodone to deal with his stress over the relationship, his work on various pilots and writing the Humblebrag book. "It was easier just to take drugs and do it all. I wrote that entire book on so much drugs," Wittels said. "That's a humblebrag."

During the podcast, Wittels told Holmes he had gone to rehab for a second time after becoming addicted to heroin, and had just gotten out of rehab a month earlier. "Sobriety is still fresh. I haven't figured it all out," he said.

Wittels' life ended on February 19, 2015 from a possible drug overdose in his Los Angeles home.

In an interview on Jewcy.com, Harris Wittels spoke openly about his Jewish heritage:

Congrats on being named to the Big Jewcy. How does it feel?

I feel like a million…. shekels?

What is your background?

Right now, it’s a picture of a dog on a skateboard.

Frillz – I am from Houston TX. Went to Emerson College in Boston and then moved to LA.

When did you know you liked to make people laugh? When did you realize this is what you wanted to do professionally?

When I made that background dog picture joke.

A couple months back New York Magazine ran a piece called, “Parks & Recreation and the Comedy of Super Niceness”. If you haven’t read it, it argues that what makes the show so special is that it avoid the cynicism of most contemporary comedies. Would you say this is correct? Do you have an idea of how this tone started?

I do think this is correct, and I attribute it to Mike Schur, who is sickeningly positive all the time. He just grins and eats ice cream cones and watermelon all day. I have never seen him be bothered by anything, no matter what I try.

I think a big change from season one to season two was more of people working WITH Leslie, instead of against her. It gave it a nice warm feeling.

Do you have a favorite character to write for?

There was an angry black gentleman in “94 Meetings” who had one scene in which he just yelled about how he needs a permit to post a sign for his missing bird. That is my favorite person I have ever/will ever get to write for.

You got your start writing on the Sarah Silverman Program. Did you work under Dan Harmon (creator of Community) at all? It seems like Community and Parks & Recreation are in a constant neck in neck race for best comedy on TV. Is there a rivalry?

I never got to work under him. Dan and I have a very complicated relationship, in that it is solely based on opaque Twitter exchanges. Most of them have to do with Humblebrag.

No rivalry. Community’s great. We are all on the same night of comedy, so… good for the goose, good for the gander. In fact, I think they’re our lead-in next year. So, everyone watch Community!

In preparing for this interview, it seemed impossible to avoid the fact that you are known as a guy who often takes his dick out. How did this reputation start? How did you feel when it was cemented in history in Sarah’s book?

What’s funny is Sarah asked if she could use a picture of my dick and I literally didn’t know which one she was talking about. Could have been one of dozens. That was a fun writer’s room. Good times. I felt great about it. My mom didn’t, but she’s fine now. My dad thought it was funny though.

You know that nightmare where you’re naked at school? Well, now that the whole world could potentially see my penis at any Barnes and Noble, that fear is gone from my life. It’s very liberating. I recommend everyone do it.

Have you had one a “wow, I can’t believe I get to do this” moment?

Sleeping with Scarlett Johansson was a big one for me. JK, but could you imagine though? She’s so hot. After reading this, she’ll probably NEVER sleep with me. Oh great.

I’ve had a few of those moments. It’s important to feel that way I think, so you don’t get jaded or something. It’s fun to do comedy and to get to do it everyday with the people I do it with. I feel very lucky, yes. God, I’m sorry if you’re reading this. I sound like such a jerkoff.

Beyond having almost 60,000 followers, the term has seemed to move beyond Twitter. It is a term that described a previously unnamed yet very common awful behavior. Did you ever think it would get this popular?

I did not. I love that people are responding to it. Sometimes people like it too hard and they’re mean to people I retweet on there, and I’m like “chill, yo!”

This answer was a humblebrag.

What makes a great Humblebrag?

The more veiled it is coupled with how extreme the brag is.

With Parks & Recreation done for the season, are you currently working on anything else? What’s next?

I got to write a couple of episodes for the third season of Eastbound and Down which was really fun and something of a dream come true since its my favorite show on TV.

I’m also working on a few feature scripts. Aziz, Jason Woliner, and I just pitched something together, so hopefully that ends up happening.

Is Seth Meyers Jewish?

Seth Meyers is not Jewish. The former Saturday Night Live cast member and current late night television host is not a Jew. Seth Meyers' father's father (his paternal grandfather) was Jewish and that is where the Jewish surname Meyers comes from.

Meyers was born in Evanston, Illinois, and was raised in Bedford, New Hampshire. His mother, Hilary Claire (née Olson), is a middle school French teacher, and his father, Laurence Meyers, Jr., works in finance. His younger brother is actor Josh Meyers. His paternal grandfather was Jewish; Seth has performed at several Jewish Community Centers, although he does not consider himself Jewish. His other ancestry is Czech-Austrian (from his paternal grandmother), Swedish, English, and German. Meyers graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, where he became a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta.

Meyers is married to a Jewish woman, Alexi, and the couple was married under a chuppah in a Jewish ceremony. The comedian has acknowledged that many people think he's Jewish because "of my last name, my looks and basically everything about me."

In an April 24, 2014 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, the host explained that he is not Jewish after a recent guest presented him with a Montreal Expos yarmulke (kippah).

Is Billy Eichner Jewish?

Billy Eichner is Jewish. Billy Eichner is a comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is the star, executive producer and creator of Funny Or Die's Billy on the Street, a comedy game show that airs on Fuse TV. Eichner was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Game Show Host" in 2013.

He first gained attention as the host and writer of "Creation Nation: A Live Talk Show," a critically acclaimed stage show in New York. Eichner has also appeared on Conan as a special correspondent in original video shorts and as himself on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Last Call with Carson Daly, The Wendy Williams Show, and Fashion Police with Joan Rivers, among others.

Eichner is also openly gay. In a 2013 article in the Jewish Daily Forward, Eitan Kensky writes, Billy Eichner is tall, gay, Jewish, from Queens, with a hairline somewhere between receding and disappearing. All of these qualities fuel his comedy. They also make the act of watching him run around the streets of New York, offering ordinary people $1 to answer questions like, “Who’s better, Meryl Streep or Glenn Close?” (and then erupting into a heated and irrational fury when the answer is Glenn Close “by far,” to which he yells back, neck veins bulging cartoonishly, “No, that is not the truth!”) one of the most exhilarating comic experiences there is. These moments, when Billy turns on his “contestant,” almost make you believe that the game show was invented just so Billy could savage it. You at least want to believe it.

Is Mickey Rooney Jewish?

Mickey Rooney was not Jewish. Mickey Rooney was born Joseph Yule, Jr. in Brooklyn on September 23, 1920. He was an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances spanned nearly his entire lifetime. Some people thought that Mickey Rooney was a Jew because of his brand of humor including vaudeville.

His father, Joe Yule (born Ninnian Joseph Ewell), was from Glasgow, Scotland, and his mother, Nellie W. (née Carter), was from Kansas City, Missouri. Both of his parents were in vaudeville, appearing in a Brooklyn production of A Gaiety Girl when Joseph, Jr. was born. He began performing at the age of 17 months as part of his parents' routine, wearing a specially tailored tuxedo.

He received multiple awards, including a Juvenile Academy Award, an Honorary Academy Award, two Golden Globes and an Emmy Award. Working as a performer since he was a child, he was a superstar as a teenager for the films in which he played Andy Hardy, and he has had one of the longest careers of any actor, spanning 92 years actively making films in ten decades, from the 1920s to the 2010s. For a younger generation of fans, he gained international fame for his leading role as Henry Dailey in The Family Channel's The Adventures of the Black Stallion.

Rooney died on April 6, 2014 and was one of the last surviving stars who worked in the silent film era. He was also the last surviving cast member of several films in which he appeared during the 1930s and 1940s.

Is David Brenner Jewish?

David Brenner was Jewish. The comedian decided to become a comedian instead of a rabbi. His grandfather and three uncles were rabbis. Brenner was born in 1936 and raised in poor areas of Philadelphia. At school, Brenner was elected class president every.

After high school, he largely hung out on the street corners for two years, followed by two years in the army, serving in the 101st Airborne and as a cryptographer of the 595th Signal Corp in Boblingen, Germany. After being discharged, he attended Temple University, where he majored in mass communication and graduated with honors.
Brenner had three children: Slade, Wyatt and Cole.

He and the mother of his first son, Cole, fought a custody battle lasting several years. Brenner finally won custody in 1992. Brenner married Elizabeth Slater of New York, the mother of his sons Slade and Wyatt, in the closing minutes of his Live from The Venetian Hotel show in Las Vegas, Nevada HBO Special on February 19, 2000. They divorced a little over a year later and fought two custody battles, both of which Brenner won. Brenner married figure skater Tai Babilonia on March 7, 2011.



Brenner died on March 15, 2014, at the age of 78 from cancer at his New York City home.

Is Sid Caesar Jewish?

Sid Caesar was a Jew. The comedian Sid Caesar was Jewish.  Born September 8, 1922, Sid Caesar was an American comic actor and writer best known for the television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. He was also a saxophonist and author of several books, including two autobiographies. Sid Caesar died February 12, 2014.

Caesar was the youngest of three sons born to Jewish immigrants living in Yonkers, New York. His father, Max, had emigrated from Poland; his mother, Ida (née Raphael), from the Russian Empire. The surname "Caesar" was supposedly given to Max, as a child, by an immigration official at Ellis Island.

Max and Ida Caesar ran a restaurant, a 24-hour luncheonette. By waiting on tables, their son learned to mimic the patois, rhythm and accents of the diverse clientele, a technique he termed "double-talk," which he would famously use throughout his career. He first tried his "double-talk" with a group of Italians, his head barely reaching above the table. They enjoyed it so much that they sent him over to a group of Poles to repeat his native-sounding patter in Polish, and so on with Russians, Hungarians, Frenchmen, Spaniards, Lithuanians and Bulgarians. Despite his apparent fluency in many languages, Caesar could actually speak only English and Yiddish. Sid's older brother, David, was his comic mentor and "one-man cheering section." They created their earliest family sketches from movies of the day like "Test Pilot" and the 1927 silent film "Wings".
At fourteen, Caesar went to the Catskills Mountains as a saxophonist in Mike Cifichello's Swingtime Six band, and occasionally performed in sketches in the Borscht Belt.

Is Adam Sandler Jewish?

Adam Sandler is Jewish. Adam Richard Sandler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Stanley, an electrical engineer, and Judy Sandler, a nursery school teacher. His parents both descended from immigrants from Russia on both sides. He attended Manchester Central High School and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988.

Adam Sandler married actress Jacqueline Samantha Titone on June 22, 2003. She converted to Judaism, in 2000. Sandler and Titone have two daughters: Sadie Madison Sandler (born 2006) and Sunny Madeline Sandler (born 2008). Sandler lives with his family in Los Angeles, but also owns homes in New York City and Florida.

In addition to an animated movie about Hanukkah called "8 Crazy Nights", Sandler also wrote and has performed several versions of "The Chanukah Song", a humorous song written by comedian Adam Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his stand-up act, later updating it with new lyrics. All variations center on the theme of Jewish children feeling alienated during the Christmas season, and Sandler's listing of Jewish celebrities (both real and fictional) as a way of sympathizing with their situation.

The song begins with a few lines that rhyme with Harmonica and Hanukkah, and just before the listing begins a repeated theme of the song says: "Instead of one day of presents, we get eight crazy nights!". The end of that sentence - "eight crazy nights" is shouted together with the crowd.

Jewish Celebrities referenced in the versions of "The Chanukah Song":

Original Song:

David Lee Roth
James Caan
Kirk Douglas
Dinah Shore (replaced in some performances with Pauly Shore)
The Carnegie Deli (noted for traditional Jewish fare)
Bowzer (Jon Bauman) from Sha Na Na
Arthur Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler)
Paul Newman (half-Jewish)
Goldie Hawn (half-Jewish)
Captain Kirk (William Shatner)
Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
The owner of the Seattle SuperSonics (Barry Ackerley)
O. J. Simpson described as "not a Jew!" to great applause from the audience.
Rod Carew (He converted) (*This is an error; Carew married a Jewish woman, but he did not convert to Judaism).
Ann Landers
"Dear Abby" (Pauline Phillips at the time.)
Harrison Ford (quarter-Jewish) (This is an error; Ford's mother is actually fully Jewish).[3]
Ebenezer Scrooge, described as not Jewish.
The Three Stooges
Tom Cruise's agent (Cruise is not Jewish).
During the final verse, performed originally on Saturday Night Live and on a radio cut, Sandler sings the line "Drink your gin and tonic-ah, but don't smoke marijuan-icah". On the uncut album version, and during various concert appearances, the line was changed to "Drink your gin and tonic-ah, and smoke your marijuan-icah". The uncut version, despite the reference to marijuana, receives most radio airplay today; another radio edit skips completely over the gin and tonic/marijuana line altogether.

Part II (1999)

The "The Chanukah Song, Part II" was recorded live at Brandeis University for Sandler's 1999 album Stan and Judy's Kid.

Persons referenced in "The Chanukah Song, Part II":

Winona Ryder (whose father is Jewish)
Ralph Lauren
Calvin Klein
Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt
Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz of the Beastie Boys (Diamond and Yauch are Jewish, and Horovitz's father was Jewish)
Lenny Kravitz (half-Jewish)
Courtney Love (half-Jewish) (an error; neither of her parents was Jewish).
Harvey Keitel
Jennifer Beals (an error; Beals says she once wanted to be Jewish, but is not).[4]
Yasmine Bleeth (her father was Jewish)
Dustin Hoffman (referred to as Dustin Hoffmanica)
O.J. Simpson, "still not a Jew"
Don Messick, voice actor of Scooby Doo (This is an error; Messick was not Jewish)
Bob Dylan, "was born a jew then he wasn't but now he's back"
Robert Levine, husband of Mary Tyler Moore
Tiger Woods ("No, I'm not talkin' 'bout Tiger Woods".)
Happy Gilmore, Sandler's title character in the 1996 film
Bruce Springsteen, who "isn't Jewish", but "[Sandler's] mother thinks he is".
Other pop culture references include: Manischewitz wine, Hooked on Phonics and Tijuana, Mexico.

Part III (2002)

Included on the Eight Crazy Nights soundtrack featuring vocals from actor Rob Schneider and the children's choir The Drei-Dels.

Persons referenced in "The Chanukah Song, Part III":

Ross (David Schwimmer) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) from Friends
David Lander (Squiggy) of Laverne & Shirley
Debra Messing
Melissa Gilbert (was adopted by a Jewish mother and raised in her faith)
Michael Landon (Landon's father was Jewish).
Jerry Lewis
Ben Stiller (Stiller's dad Jerry Stiller is Jewish, and mom Anne Meara, who is of Irish Catholic background, converted to Reform Judaism).
Jack Black (dad converted to Judaism, mom was born Jewish.)
Tom Arnold ("converted to Judaism, but you guys can have him back!")
Deuce Bigalow, Rob Schneider's title character of the 1999 film (Schneider is half-Jewish) he comes on stage an states I'm Jewish, stays for the chorus then sings- Mickey Raphael ("The guy in Willie Nelson's band who plays harmonica celebrates Hanukkah!") then Sandler says, "tiny Elvis, ladies and gentlemen tiny Elvis." Turning to Schneider, he says, "Schneider, I did not even know you were Jewish. He responds, "I'm a Filipino Jew; in fact, I got to run home and light the first pig," to which Sandler replies, "get going," and then continues the song.
Osama bin Laden, who is "not a big fan of the Jews".
Sarah Hughes (half-Jewish; "her mama's Jewish")
Harry Houdini
David Blaine (his mother was Jewish)
Gwyneth Paltrow (half-Jewish)
Jennifer Connelly (half-Jewish)
Lou Reed
Perry Farrell
Beck (maternal great-grandmother was Jewish)
Paula Abdul
Joey Ramone
Natalie Portman (as "Natalie Portmanika")

Is Seth Rogen Jewish?

Yes, Seth Rogen is a Jew. Rogen is a comedian and actor known for his roles in The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People.

Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His mother, Sandy, is a social worker and his father, Mark Rogen, worked for non-profit organizations and as an assistant director of a Workmen's Circle. He has described his parents, who met at an Israeli kibbutz, as radical Jewish socialists. He has one older sister, Danya. Rogen attended Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and Point Grey Secondary School (although he never graduated). Rogen was known for the stand-up comedy he performed at Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror camp.

Is Steve Martin Jewish?

Steve Martin is not Jewish. The actor, comedian and novelist is married to the Jewish Anne Stringfield.  Their wedding ceremony incorporated Jewish and Christian elements.

The couple had a child together in December 2012.

Is Chelsea Handler Jewish?

Yes, Chelsea Handler is a Jew. Handler has written many books, is a stand-up comedian and hosts her own talk show, Chelsea Lately.

Handler grew up in Livingston, New Jersey. She is the youngest of six children and was raised as a Reform Jew by her father, Seymour, and her Mormon mother, Rita.

Is Jon Stewart Jewish?

Jon Stewart is a Jew. Stewart is the host of The Daily Show, a talk show on Comedy Central, which he began hosting in 1999.

Stewart was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz in New York City, to a Jewish family. He grew up in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where he attended Lawrence High School. Jon's mother, Marian (née Laskin), is an educational consultant and teacher and his father, Donald, is a professor. According to Stewart, he was subjected to anti-Semitic bullying as a child and he describes himself in high school as "very into Eugene Debs and a bit of a leftist."

Stewart graduated in 1984 from The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where he played on the soccer team and initially majored in chemistry before switching to psychology. While at William & Mary, Stewart became a brother of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Before becoming the host of The Daily Show, Stewart hosted The Jon Stewart Show on MTV and has released a couple books and voiced a few audiobooks.

Is Daniel Tosh Jewish?

Daniel Tosh is not Jewish. Some people think that Daniel Tosh is a Jew based on his comedy, but he's not Jewish. His father is a preacher.

Tosh was born in Boppard, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany and grew up in Titusville, Florida.

Is Jon Lovitz Jewish?

Jon Lovitz is Jewish. The Saturday Night Live alum was born to two Jewish parents. Jonathan Lovitz was born in Los Angeles, California.

Jon Lovitz's parents were of Hungarian, Romanian and Russian descent. Lovitz's father, a medical doctor, was the family doctor to Michael Jackson and his family during his youth.

Is Regis Philbin Jewish?

Regis Philbin is not a Jew. Philbin was raised Roman Catholic.

Regis Philbin was born in New York City to an Irish father and an Arbëreshë  mother. His parents Francis "Frank" Philbin, a U.S. Marine who served in the Pacific and Filomena "Florence" Boscia raised Philbin in The Bronx, New York.

Is Sacha Baron Cohen Jewish?

Sacha Baron Cohen is Jewish. Sacha Noam Baron Cohen, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, is not very religious but says he is very proud to be Jewish. Sacha Baron Cohen was born in 1971 to his Israeli mother Daniella, and his father Gerald, who is originally from Wales. His maternal grandmother, who lives in Haifa, Israel, trained as a ballet dancer in Germany. His famous brother is Erran Baron Cohen, the noted composer and rapper who has worked on several of Sacha Baron Cohen's films. Their cousin is Simon Baron-Cohen, the renowned autism researcher.

According to his Wikipedia entry, Baron Cohen first acted in theatrical productions featuring the Socialist-Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror. He spent a year in Israel at Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra and Kibbutz Beit HaEmek as part of the Shnat Habonim Dror, as well as taking part in the Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz for Jewish youth movement leaders. According to Baron Cohen, "I wouldn't say that I am a religious Jew, but I'm still proud to be Jewish".

It has been reported that he observes the Jewish kosher laws and attends synagogue twice a year. Baron Cohen speaks Hebrew fluently and uses Hebrew words and phrases while portraying his Borat character. He also sang the lyrics from an old kibbutz song (pretending that it was the Kazakh National Anthem) in an episode of Da Ali G Show.

Sacha Baron Cohen married Australian actress Isla Fisher in 2010 after she spent three years studying to convert to Judaism.

Sacha Baron Cohen gained notoriety with his fictional characters Ali G, Borat, and Brüno on his hit TV show "The Ali G. Show". In his routines, Baron Cohen's characters interact with unsuspecting people who don't know their part of a satirical comedy routine. Baron Cohen recently played a major role in the Martin Scorsese film "Hugo". He also stars in the comedy "The Dictator" which he co-produced and co-wrote. In February 2012, Baron Cohen was warned by the Academy Awards that he will be banned from presenting at the Oscars if he arrives to the award show in his character from "The Dictator."

Disambiguation: Is Figure Skater Sasha Cohen Jewish?

Is Robin Williams Jewish?

No, Robin Williams is not a Jew. Some think that Robin Williams is Jewish because he often does Jewish impressions in his performances.

The actor and comedian's parents, Laura McLaurin (née Smith) and Robert Fitzgerald Williams provided him with English, Welsh, Irish, and French ancestry. He was raised in the Episcopal Church (his mother practiced Christian Science). Robin Williams grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School.

Robin Williams died tragically on August 11, 2014 of suicide by asphyxiation.

Is Sarah Silverman Jewish?

Yes, Sarah Silverman is Jewish. Sarah Silverman, the youngest of four daughters, was born in Bedford, New Hampshire. Both of her parents are Jewish. Sarah Silverman has an older sister who is a Reform rabbi and lives with her husband and their children in Israel. While she wasn't raised in a traditional Jewish household, she has spoken about being a proud member of the Jewish people and has embraced her Jewishness (or in her words: "Jewy-ness").


Sarah Silverman spoke to Piers Morgan about her Jewish identity and later restated it in an interview for Boston University's Elie Weisel Center for Judaic Studies alongside her sister Rabbi Susan Silverman. She said, "I don't have religion personally. But I'm Jewish in that it's in my bones."

In February 2014, US Weekly reported that Sarah Silverman is dating actor Michael Sheen. Michael Sheen is the star of “Masters of Sex.” Sheen is not Jewish. Silverman’s on-again-off-again five-year relationship with Jimmy Kimmel ended in 2009. In the past, Michael Sheen has been linked to VH1 “Morning Buzz” host Carrie Keagan and “Midnight in Paris” co-star Rachel McAdams since his split with Kate Beckinsale.