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Nathan Fielder
Canadian comedian (born 1983) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nathan Joseph Fielder (born May 12, 1983) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, pilot, and activist, known for his awkward persona and for creating works that blur the line between reality and fiction. He has also become recognized for activism, including his Holocaust-awareness clothing brand Summit Ice Apparel and his advocacy for aviation safety. His accolades include an Independent Spirit Award and a WGA Award, as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2023, he was featured on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[1]
Fielder was interested in comedy from a young age, and as a teenager was involved in his school's improv group, which also featured fellow comedian Seth Rogen. He majored in business at the University of Victoria, which influenced his later work. After attending a comedy course at Humber College, Fielder started his career as a correspondent for CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes for the segment series Nathan on Your Side from 2008 to 2009. Fielder wrote and appeared on the American sketch show Important Things with Demetri Martin (2011).
In 2013, Fielder co-created and directed the Comedy Central parody reality show Nathan for You, in which Fielder stars as a slightly more awkward version of himself, who offers advice to struggling businesses. The show ended in 2017 and was followed by the HBO docu-comedy The Rehearsal (2022–present). Fielder also executive produced the HBO docu-series How To with John Wilson (2020–2023). In 2023, he and Benny Safdie created his first scripted show, Showtime's The Curse, in which he stars, alongside Safdie and Emma Stone.
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Early life and education
Nathan Joseph Fielder was born on May 12, 1983,[2][3][4] in Vancouver[5] to a Jewish family,[6] the son of social workers Deb and Eric Fielder.[7]
Fielder attended Vancouver Talmud Torah[8] and Point Grey Secondary School. He was a member of the latter's improv comedy group, which also included comedian Seth Rogen.[9]
He studied business at the University of Victoria, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2005.[7][10] After university, he moved to Toronto and enrolled in Humber College's Comedy Program in 2006.[11][12] He worked briefly for a brokerage firm before quitting to start his comedy career.[13]
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Career
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2006–2012: Early work
After receiving the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award in 2006,[14] Fielder worked as a writer on Canadian Idol, where he was noticed by Michael Donovan, an executive producer for the CBC comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Donovan hired Fielder as a field correspondent, and developed his popular recurring segment, "Nathan on Your Side".[15] In 2010, Fielder wrote and directed a number of sketches for Season 2 of Important Things with Demetri Martin on Comedy Central.[16] He was also featured as a guest voice actor on the Season 2 finale of Bob's Burgers, "Beefsquatch", as well as the Season 6 episode, "The Land Ship".[16] Fielder played the role of Jon Benjamin's boom operator in the 2011 television series Jon Benjamin Has a Van,[16] and played Bob Woodward in the "Washington, DC" episode of Comedy Central's Drunk History.[17] Fielder has also guest-starred on the Adult Swim show Rick and Morty. He appeared in the 2015 film The Night Before and the 2017 biopic The Disaster Artist. Fielder also has a YouTube channel, mainly comprising short sketches involving him and his friends.[18]
2013–2017: Nathan for You
In 2013, Fielder co-created his own show on Comedy Central called Nathan for You.[10] The show, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, was based on the "Nathan On Your Side" segments he did for This Hour Has 22 Minutes.[10] The show's premise features Fielder, playing a persona loosely based on himself, providing advice for local small businesses.[7][19] In November 2017, the show finished its fourth and final season.[20]
On the morning of February 7, 2014, a coffee shop called Dumb Starbucks Coffee opened in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.[21] The shop said they were operating as a parody of the global coffee company and coffeehouse chain Starbucks and utilized the chain's siren logo in their signage, cups, and other materials.[22] In the episode Fielder says his understanding of parody law is “based off what I read on Wikipedia.”[23] The shop mocked items standard to most Starbucks' locations such as Norah Jones CDs and drinks by using the term "Dumb" in front of the names, such as "Dumb Norah Jones Duets" and "Dumb Iced Vanilla Latte".[22] Beverages and pastries were distributed free of charge.[21] Some journalists initially speculated it was the work of British artist Banksy.[23] A few days later, Starbucks announced that they were not affiliated with the shop and that they were "evaluating [their] next steps" due to the shop deliberately attempting to mimic the look of a legitimate Starbucks location.[24]
The identity of the person behind the shop was not released initially, and various artists and comedians such as Banksy[25] and Tim & Eric were theorized to be involved with the prank.[26] (The latter’s production company Abso Lutely Productions had applied for a filming permit at the Dumb Starbucks Coffee location).[27] On February 10, 2014, the shop was closed by the Los Angeles County Health Department for not having the permits required to operate a coffee shop.[28] Shortly thereafter, Fielder announced he was behind the parody and the Los Angeles Times noted the prank's similarity to other skits performed on Fielder's show Nathan for You.[29]
In 2015, Fielder started a not-for-profit company called Summit Ice Apparel after learning the Vancouver-based company Taiga published a tribute to Holocaust denier Doug Collins. Summit Ice produces soft shell jackets and was featured in Season 3 Episode 2 of Nathan for You.
2018–2021: Career expansion
Fielder worked as a consulting producer, writer and co-director for the Sacha Baron Cohen created political mockumentary series Who is America? (2018). The following year it was announced that Fielder had signed an overall deal with HBO, under which he would serve as executive producer for the John Wilson-created documentary series How To with John Wilson and star, write, and direct in a separate comedy series.[30]
2021–2024: The Rehearsal & The Curse
In 2021, HBO announced the name of another new comedy series, The Rehearsal, starring Fielder, who also served as writer, executive producer, and director. The first season of The Rehearsal was released in 2022 to critical acclaim[31] and it was renewed by HBO for a second season.[32] For the series, Fielder won the Independent Spirit Award for Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series.
In 2022, Showtime picked up the comedy series The Curse, created and written by Fielder and filmmaker Benny Safdie, and starring Fielder, Safdie, and Emma Stone.[33][34] The first three episodes premiered at the 2023 New York Film Festival.[35] The rest of the episodes aired on Paramount+ and were shown at Lincoln Center.[36]
Fielder was added to Time's "100 Most Influential People in 2023" by The Curse co-star Emma Stone. Stone described his ability to "move fluidly between directing, writing, acting, and producing, all while editing The Rehearsal" as "a staggering feat."[37]
2025–present: Pilot career
In 2025, Season 2 of The Rehearsal aired on HBO with a focus on aviation safety, receiving critical acclaim.[38] The season's central idea of rehearsing and performing social interactions resonated with many autistic viewers, who viewed it as an analogy for autistic masking.[39][40]
Following the overarching subject matter of aircraft pilots on The Rehearsal, Fielder became an FAA certified 737 commercial pilot in February 2025.[41][42] As of 2025, Fielder works as a ferry pilot for a company that transports empty planes around the world.[43]
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Influences
Some of the comedians Fielder has named as influences include Chris Morris[44] and Stephen Colbert.[45]
Personal life
Fielder was married to a children's librarian. They divorced in 2014.[46] He is incorrectly listed as female on his U.S. green card.[47][48][non-primary source needed]
While filming Season 2 of The Rehearsal, Fielder lived in a neighborhood outside the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of 2022, Fielder lives in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.[49]
Activism
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Holocaust awareness
As a student, Fielder attended a speech hosted by the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) featuring a Holocaust survivor. This experience led to Fielder's long-standing relationship with the center.[8]
In 2015, Fielder founded a not-for-profit company called Summit Ice Apparel. The company produces soft shell jackets while focusing on raising awareness of the Holocaust. The company had close to $500,000 in sales in the first three months,[50] with all profits going to VHEC.[51] As of 2025, Summit Ice Apparel claims to have earned millions in direct support of youth education surrounding "intolerance, racial bias, and genocide."[52]
Fielder was inspired to start the company after learning that Taiga, a Vancouver-based organization he previously supported, published a tribute to Holocaust denier Doug Collins. In 2017, Fielder hosted a 1-day pop-up shop in Vancouver where customers were able to trade in their used Taiga clothing for Summit Ice Apparel products.[8]
The second episode of Nathan For You's third season, which featured Summit Ice Apparel, was removed by Paramount+ worldwide as the Germany division of the streaming service expressed concerns of antisemitism in the wake of the Gaza war. Fielder expressed disappointment with this decision in the second episode of The Rehearsal's second season, referencing Summit Ice Apparel as his "proudest achievement."[53]
Aviation safety
During a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2025, Fielder revealed that he has been following airplane crashes for "almost 20 years."[54] This led him to notice a trend of pilot miscommunication in the cockpit and publicly expressing concern for the current state of pilot training. In an interview with CNN, he states that "I went through the training [as a 737 pilot]... someone shows you a PowerPoint slide saying that if you are a copilot and the captain does something wrong, you need to speak up about it... they don't do anything that makes it stick emotionally."[43]
Season 2 of The Rehearsal touches on this concept even further, with Fielder using roleplay to train pilots on effective communication before and during flight. In response to its denial of the show's central claim that pilot communications is to blame for airline disasters, Fielder criticized the FAA on CNN stating "That's dumb. They're dumb."[43]
Fielder has a working relationship with John Goglia, American aviation safety consultant and former member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) who plays a significant role as Fielder's advisor on Season 2 The Rehearsal.[55] Goglia has accompanied Fielder on public interviews related to aviation safety.[43]
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Filmography
Film
Television
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Awards and nominations
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References
External links
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