Wilmore was born October 30, 1961, in Los Angeles, California,[1][2] to parents Betty and Larry,[4] and grew up in suburban Pomona.

[5][8] As a child, Wilmore found interest in topics such as science, magic, science-fiction and fantasy, all of which have shaped the evolution of his performance.

[10] He studied theatre at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, but dropped out to pursue acting and stand-up comedy.

In the early to mid-1990s, he was on the writing staff of the talk show Into the Night With Rick Dees,[10] the sketch comedy show In Living Color[10] (his younger brother Marc was also a writer with In Living Color; unlike Larry, he became a cast member), and the sitcom Sister, Sister, where he portrayed a bus driver in one episode.

He went on to be a writer and producer on a series of black sitcoms, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Jamie Foxx Show.

[15] In January 2009, Hyperion published Wilmore's I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts, a political humor book described by Booklist as "a faux collection of articles, essays, radio transcripts, and letters exploring the more ludicrous angles on race."

In 2011, He began a recurring role on the ABC comedy Happy Endings, where he played Mr. Forristal, Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.)'s uptight boss.

[22] Wilmore has cited Johnny Carson,[23] Richard Pryor,[23] Eddie Murphy[24] and Jon Stewart[25] as comedy influences.

[8][27] He resided in San Marino, California with his family until moving to New York City to work on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.