He co-starred with his best friend, Pete Davidson, in The King of Staten Island (2021), which he also helped write and produce.
Ricky Velez was born and raised in Queens, New York in a blue-collar family with two brothers.
[6][2] After graduating, Velez attended college for less than a year before he returned to Queens and tried to join the military.
[2][5][3] After returning to Queens at age 19, Velez started working for the Broadway Comedy Club, where he would take tickets while performing stand-up each night.
[7] The special received positive reviews, with Jason Zinoman in The New York Times describing it as a "solid introduction to his spiky, propulsive comedy".
[2] Velez's mom died in 2016, a few months before The Nightly Show was cancelled, which led to a tough period in his life.
[5] Velez has a son, born in 2018, who can be seen playing guitar at the end of his 2021 HBO comedy special.