Good Son’ Sets Premiere Date On YouTube

Comedian Paul Elia has announced that his latest comedy special, Good Son, which he self-produced and financed, is set to premiere on YouTube on April 8.

In the special, shot at the Den Theatre in Chicago, Elia explores the deeply personal and hilarious experience of moving back in with his Iraqi-Assyrian parents after his fiancée (now wife) was accepted into an oral surgery residency in his hometown of Detroit. The special centers on Elia’s inner conflict as he tries to please his old school immigrant parents while confronting the realization that being a “good son” may have made him a bad husband.

“This special is my best work to date,” Elia told Deadline. “It’s all the things I always wanted to tell my parents but was too ashamed to admit, kinda like how I was sneaking out their house at 37. I’m really proud of how honest I was able to be in it and couldn’t be happier with the final product.”

Good Son was directed by Elia’s longtime friend Lisa Wiegand (Mayans M.C., Chicago Fire), whom he credits with getting him on the road to a Hollywood career. The special is executive produced by Azhar Usman, Mohammad Ali, and Logan Potter, and produced by Dan Ringey, Amna Mirza, and Greg Van Horn.

Also an actor, writer, and producer, Elia is someone who has consistently found ways to create on his own terms, rather than waiting on approval from gatekeepers. This has included teaming with Matt Rife to create the LowKey Comedy Show, as an outlet for performers looking for a mic during the pandemic, in addition to hosting digital comedy shows on the audio-only app Clubhouse, and self-producing his own specials.

“I’ve always had a strange relationship with Hollywood,” Elia said. “I was self representing myself for years, booking my own shows and finding ways to read for roles in television and film. I had a massive come to Jesus moment and stopped relying on Hollywood to give me an opportunity and started to make my own stuff. If it hits, great! If not, great! I just wanna make stuff I’m proud of at this point and will spend my last dollar doing so.”

The Iraqi-American artist’s debut solo special, Detroit Player — the first to shoot at the Detroit House of Comedy — released at the tail end of 2023. He followed it up in 2025 with LowKey Comedy Special, an hour put together with Rife, which taped at the Troubadour during Netflix Is a Joke Fest 2024.

Currently, Elia is a series regular on Prime Video/A24’s adult animated series #1 Happy Family USA, created by his longtime friend and collaborator Ramy Youssef, where he voices multiple characters. He also has a recurring role in Season 2 of BET+’s Diarra from Detroit, created by fellow Detroit native Diarra Kilpatrick.

Elia exec produced LowKey Comedy Special after EP’ing Rife’s specials Natural Selection and Matthew Steven Rife, and associate producing his debut special, Only Fans. He is repped by Authentic Talent and Literary Management.