Brooks Wheelan Speaking Fee: $10,000 and below

Brooks Wheelan is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer who was a cast member on Saturday Night Live during the 2013–2014 season. Born Brooks Patrick Wheelan on August 21, 1986, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he was raised in Manchester, Iowa, by his parents Chris and Jim Wheelan. As a child, he was primarily interested in science and mathematics. During his college years, he performed regularly in Iowa City and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2009 with a degree in biomedical engineering. Wheelan began performing stand-up comedy in his late teens in Iowa, later moving to Kansas City and Chicago before settling in Los Angeles to pursue comedy full-time. While living in Los Angeles, he balanced his burgeoning comedy career with a job as a biomedical engineer, conducting research on eyes and heart valves. In 2013, he was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live and was promoted to cast member just before the season started. Following his departure from Saturday Night Live, he launched a stand-up tour titled "Brooks Wheelan Falls Back On Standup Comedy (sorta) Tour," humorously referencing his firing. As part of the tour promotion, he performed on Conan. His debut stand-up comedy album, This is Cool, Right?, was released on January 27, 2015, to critical acclaim. The Laugh Button praised it as "One of the best albums of 2015," while The A.V. Club described it as "manic, honest, and completely absurd," highlighting Wheelan's skill in crafting jokes and storytelling. As part of the album's promotion, he appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers. In the summer of 2015, he also aired a half-hour stand-up special on Comedy Central.