Chris D’Elia returns: Has he addressed the sexual misconduct news?

Perhaps the best form of silence is no silence at all?  

Comedian & actor Chris D’Elia has certainly seemed to have forgotten about the allegations held against him last year, having posted a slew of podcasts on his YouTube account since his apology video titled “It’s been awhile” last month. Sort of feels like old news, right?

But is the comedian truly sorry for his words & actions, or has he moved on from his own mistakes in an effort to change the narrative surrounding his falling star? Hard to tell. With no new real news surrounding the situation, we’re simply left to continue speculating, all while Chris D’Elia continues to upload new videos on his account where he talks about things like DMX’s passing or being a father.  

Who is Chris D’Elia?

Forty-year-old Chris D’Elia is the son of famous TV producer & director, Bill D’Elia, who’s famous for his work on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, The Practice, Glee, The West Wing, and SNL. Chris D’Elia, who was raised in New Jersey until his family moved to Los Angeles before he was a teenager, started acting during his high school years, making current guest spots on the TV show Chicago Hope, again thanks to daddy. 

However, after dropping out of New York University, D’Elia started off his career as a stand-up comedian in 2006, quoting that he views himself as a comedian first, actor second. Chris D’Elia began making runs at popular TV comedy shows like Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, as well as Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy. 

Luckily for D’Elia, he finally landed his big break on the NBC sitcom Whitney, which saw him co-star alongside fellow stand-up comedian and close friend Whitney Cummings, who’s well known for her work on the Roseanne revival as well as the Comedy Central Roasts.  

D’Elia trending up

Even though NBC canceled Whitney after two seasons, D’Elia managed to keep his career momentum going full-steam ahead, landing nearly two-million subscribers on the old social media site Vine as well as booking multiple comedy specials on Comedy Central & Netflix. 

Chris D’Elia also managed to land a lead role on NBC’s 2014 sitcom Undateable. However, D’Elia’s biggest break to date was snagging a recurring role on the hit Netflix series You as Joshua “Henderson” Bunter. The character is a Los Angeles based stand-up comedian who also just so happens to be a nasty creep. Sound familiar? 

Reported allegations

In June 2020, Chris D’Elia faced multiple allegations of sexual assault, claiming that the actor & comedian was into inappropriate grooming, as well as soliciting nude photos of underage girls. Even for a comedian, there’s nothing funny about that. 

These allegations against Chris D’Elia had many repercussions, including D’Elia being dropped from his talent agency and getting replaced for multiple roles & events he had previously booked. It even forced Comedy Central to pull an episode of Workaholics which saw D’Elia playing a child predator in a surprise guest appearance. Was this to draw attention off of himself? Maybe, as Chris D’Elia seems like a pro at this.  

Chris D’Elia’s “It’s been awhile”

While Chris D’Elia only offered a brief statement during the initial allegations last June, the comedian & actor seems to have finally found his wording when he released a ten-minute apology on his YouTube page in February, nearly eight months after news of the first allegations were made against the actor & comedian. 

“I have a chance to apologize here, to the people who got caught up in that s%!+,” D’Elia said in his soliloquy. “The lies that I would tell my fiancé, my friends . . . I’m sorry.” It’s worth noting that in that video, D’Elia continues to proclaim that all of his relationships have been both legal & consensual. 

In the video, D’Elia also admitted to the fact that he allowed “sex” to control his life, as well as addressing that he had a “life-controlling problem” that has tarnished many good relationships in his life. He now claims to have a new focus on not only getting better but to also be a stronger role model for his son. But can we actually trust him to hold these statements? That has yet to be seen.