Emo Philips

Emo Philips is headlining The Cabaret at Wiseguys on Thursday, December 31, 2026, at 6:30 PM. If you're looking for a way to ring in the New Year that doesn't involve a loud party, a stand-up set is a pretty good call. The show is at The Gateway, 190 South 400 West, in Salt Lake City.

For those who haven't caught him before, Philips is a distinct presence on stage. He's known for an eccentric persona, a falsetto voice, and surreal humor delivered with a childlike quality. His set is built on one-liners—the kind of tight, punchy writing that earns him a reputation as a joke writer's joke writer. Jay Leno once called him the best joke writer in America, and 'Weird Al' Yankovic is among those who've named him one of the funniest people on the planet.

He's been at this for a long time. Born Philip Soltanec in Downers Grove, Illinois, he started out in Chicago in 1976 at the age of twenty. Since then, he's performed more than 6,000 times across the English-speaking world, including a multi-week run at the Playhouse Theatre in London's West End. His career has stretched beyond the stage, too: award-winning comedy albums, several cable specials, an hour on HBO, and numerous network television appearances in the US and the UK. He's also done film work—most notably as the table-saw demonstrator in UHF—and voice work on animated shows like Doctor Katz and Home Movies. Through all that, stand-up has remained his first love.

The venue is The Cabaret, a 250-seat room Wiseguys opened at The Gateway in February 2025, the club's third showroom there. It's a small enough space that you'll be close to the action, which works well for a performer who relies on timing and delivery. The show starts at 6:30 PM on New Year's Eve, so you'll be out in time to do whatever else you have planned for the night.