Nimesh Patel

Nimesh Patel was born in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, in 1986 to Indian Gujarati Hindu immigrant parents. His father, at 17, arrived in Newark, New Jersey, and worked at Macy’s before opening a liquor store in Irvington, which faced frequent robberies. Patel graduated from Parsippany Hills High School in 2004 and pursued a finance degree at New York University, graduating in 2008. While working during the day, he began performing stand-up comedy at The Stress Factory by night, developing his distinctive style.

Patel’s career gained significant momentum in 2015 when Chris Rock discovered him performing stand-up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This led to Patel joining Rock’s writing team for the 88th Academy Awards ceremony. In 2016, he became a finalist in Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network Pitch Panel at Just for Laughs ComedyPRO, further solidifying his presence in the comedy scene. His writing contributions also extended to Hasan Minhaj’s 2017 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner appearance.

In 2017, Patel became the first Indian American writer for “Saturday Night Live,” focusing primarily on jokes for “Weekend Update.” His work on SNL earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2018. While he worked with SNL for a single season, his impact was recognized. Patel has appeared on television programs such as “@midnight,” “Comedy Knockout,” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” He has also participated as a comedy and politics panelist at the Foreign Affairs Symposium at Johns Hopkins University. Patel continues to perform stand-up comedy, selling out clubs and theaters, and secured a new stand-up special with Netflix slated for April 1, 2025. He married Amy Havel Patel in 2020 and resides in Brooklyn, regularly performing at the Comedy Cellar.