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Paul W. Downs

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Paul W. Downs
Downs in 2018
Paul William Downs (1982-11-21) November 21, 1982New Jersey, U.S.
Duke University
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Writer
actor
director
2007–present
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Lucia Aniello (m. 2021)
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Paul William Downs (born November 21, 1982) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is the co-creator, co-showrunner and one of the stars of the HBO Max series Hacks, for which he has received two Golden Globes, a Peabody Award, and three Primetime Emmy Awards, among others. Downs first gained attention for his role in the Comedy Central series Broad City, which ran for five seasons and for which he was also a writer, director, and executive producer.

Downs was born in Morristown, New Jersey and raised in Sussex Borough, New Jersey. His middle name, William, is taken from his great-grandfather. He attended the Peck School for seventh and eighth grade where he performed in the Twelfth Night and won a drama award. For high school, he attended the Pingry School.

Downs studied theater at Duke University where he did improv as a member of Duke University Improv (DUI).

Downs has been creating digital shorts with Lucia Aniello under the moniker Paulilu since the pair met at the Upright Citizens Brigade. In 2012, they made a web series called Paulilu Mixtape for Above Average Productions, a division of Broadway Video.

From 2014–2019, Downs played Trey Pucker on the Comedy Central sitcom Broad City. Trey is a fitness instructor and the boss turned romantic interest of Abbi Abrams (played by Abbi Jacobson) at Soulstice.

On April 29, 2015, it was announced that Downs and Aniello would be writing a female spin-off of 21 Jump Street. On June 22, 2015, it was announced that the duo sold their script for Move That Body, a feature film acquired by Sony. Retitled Rough Night and released in 2017, Aniello directed, while Downs co-starred opposite Scarlett Johansson in the film.

In 2016 he wrote and starred in his own 30-minute episode of the sketch show Netflix Presents: The Characters. On April 20, 2016 Downs starred in the Comedy Central miniseries Time Traveling Bong alongside Broad City co-star Ilana Glazer.

In 2018, Downs co-starred in Netflix's summer comedy Like Father opposite Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammer, and Seth Rogen.

Downs is showrunning and co-starring in the HBO Max show Hacks, starring Jean Smart.

In 2021, Downs and Aniello struck a deal with Warner Bros. Television.

On January 31, 2025, Downs appeared on season 17 of RuPaul's Drag Race as a guest judge.

Downs had a cameo role in the eighth episode of The Studio, which premiered on May 6, 2025.

He lives in Los Angeles with Lucia Aniello, his wife and comedy partner. After having their wedding delayed for 16 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Downs and Aniello got married in September 2021 in an intimate ceremony in Italy. A week later, they publicly announced their wedding at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards during Aniello's acceptance speech after winning the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. They have a son, born in 2022.

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2021	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Comedy Series	Hacks (as Executive Producer)	Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	Hacks – (Episode: "There Is No Line (Pilot)") (Shared with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky)	Won
Writers Guild of America Awards	Comedy Series	Hacks	Won
New Series	Hacks	Won
Golden Globe Awards	Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Hacks (as Executive Producer)	Won
AFI Awards	Outstanding Television Program of the Year	Hacks	Won
Peabody Awards	Peabody Award, Entertainment Honoree	Hacks	Won
2022	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Comedy Series	Hacks (as Executive Producer)	Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	Hacks – (Episode: "The One, The Only") (Shared with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky)	Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards	Episodic Comedy	Hacks – (Episode: "The One, The Only") (Shared with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky)	Won
Comedy Series	Hacks	Nominated
SAG Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Hacks – (Shared with Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Mark Indelicato, and Megan Stalter)	Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television	Hacks (as Executive Producer)	Nominated
AFI Awards	Outstanding Television Program of the Year	Hacks	Won
2024	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Comedy Series	Hacks (as Executive Producer)	Won
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	Hacks – (Episode: "Bulletproof") (Shared with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky)	Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series	Hacks	Nominated

Paulilu Productions
Paul W. Downs at IMDb

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