Whatever Happened to Comedian Emo Philips?
For those who grew up in the ’80s, the name Emo Philips might instantly conjure up the image of a nervous, falsetto-voiced comic with a pageboy haircut and an uncanny ability to make absurdity sound poetic. But as recognizable as his persona was, he’s also been largely absent from popular culture for a number of years — though he was just announced as a performer at the 2025 edition of Riot Fest, the Chicago music festival that this year will feature Green Day, Weezer, Jack White, Blink-182, the Sex Pistols, and many others. What happened to Emo Philips, and where is he today?
Who is Emo Philips?
Universal Television/Everett Collection
Born Philip Soltanec on February 7, 1956, in Chicago, Philips built his career around a highly stylized stage persona: a fidgety, possibly unhinged, but strangely brilliant character who delivered punchlines with self-deprecating wit.
In case you’re unfamiliar with said unique wit, let me remind you of an interview from 1988 when Philips talked to Bob Claster and said that his New Year’s resolution was to “stay away from those cloth calendars,” joking that “they’re very pretty to look at but once I spent three hours sewing in that dental appointment.”
He released three comedy albums over the years, including E=mo², which won the 1985 New Music Award for Best Comedy Album. That record, along with Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre, was later re-released on a single CD. His 2001 album Emo marked a return to stand-up after a quieter period in the late ’90s. He also gained international attention when one of his jokes was voted the funniest religious joke ever in a 2005 online poll.
Beyond stand-up, Philips made appearances on a wide variety of television shows, including Miami Vice, The Weird Al Show and British panel shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats. He also found a niche in voiceover work, lending his quirky tone to animated favorites like Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Home Movies, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Adventure Time, where he voiced the mysterious storyteller Cuber.
His film work includes a memorable role as a clumsy shop teacher in UHF (1989), which starred his longtime friend “Weird Al” Yankovic. He also appeared in Desperation Boulevard (1998) and was an executive producer on the original 1992 version of Meet the Parents, later working as an associate producer on the 2000 blockbuster remake. In the 2000s, he began appearing in more shows and took his comedy back on the road. He reunited with Yankovic for two national comedy/music tours—first in 2018 for the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, and again in 2022 and 2023 for a globe-trotting sequel.
Craig Blankenhorn/HBO/Everett Collection
In recent years, Philips has stayed active both onscreen and onstage. He played Salvador Dalí in the quirky 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe. In 2020, he voiced a Meeks Servant in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, and between 2017 and 2019, he had a recurring voice role as Dennis O’Bannon in the animated series Welcome to the Wayne.
Today, Philips continues to perform stand-up comedy across the country. His 2025 tour includes stops in Missouri, Montana, Minnesota, and a stop at 20th anniversary of Riot Fest in his native Chicago. There are more dates announced on his official website. He remains married to actress and screenwriter Kipleigh Brown, whom he wed in 2011. At 69, Emo Philips is still wonderfully weird and as original as ever.
Remind 
Classic Comedy Duos
March 2021
Chuckle at television & films funniest comic duos.
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