Growing up, his mother was a cashier and owner of a liquor store in Clinton Township, while his father worked as a butcher for various supermarkets.
[2] He was initially two classes shy of graduating from Wayne State University with a bachelor's in English and had been hoping to apply to law school before deciding to become a comedian.
[3] Elia arrived in Hollywood in 2011 and immediately hit the ground running – creating and producing his own projects with money he saved while working late nights at a nightclub.
[5] Elia has also discussed how he began to feel ostracized from his community as a result of his stance on unity, even receiving a death threat before touring in Toronto.
[6] Elia has previously cited his family (specifically his mother) as being one of the greatest influences in his life, due to her experiences in Iraq and her hard-working lifestyle in one of Michigan's many impoverish neighborhoods.