James Christopher Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer born July 7, 1966, in Elgin, Illinois. After earning a finance degree from Georgetown University, Gaffigan moved to New York City to pursue comedy. His album Doing My Time (2004) was followed by specials including Beyond the Pale (2006) and King Baby (2009). In 2012, he recorded the Grammy-nominated special Mr. Universe, and Obsessed (2014) reached Number 1 on the Billboard Comedy Album chart. Subsequent releases including Cinco (2017), Noble Ape (2018), and The Skinny (2024) premiered on streaming platforms. Gaffigan has earned eight Grammy nominations and three Daytime Emmy Awards, and was named King of Clean by The Wall Street Journal in 2014. His 2025 tour ranked among Billboard's top 10 highest-grossing comedy tours of the year. In 2024, he launched Fathertime Bourbon, which won Best New Bourbon at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
