Last updated: October 23, 2026
Nathan Fielder is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, and filmmaker known for deadpan, reality-blurring work that makes audiences unsure what is staged and what is real. He built a cult following with Comedy Central’s Nathan for You, expanded the experiment on HBO’s The Rehearsal, co-created Showtime’s The Curse with Benny Safdie (starring Emma Stone), and in 2026 co-directed the A24 documentary You Can See Everything about Elizabeth Holmes — which The Profile reviewed here.
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Quick facts
Born: May 12, 1983 (age 43) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
From: Vancouver; University of Victoria (BCom); later Humber College comedy program in Toronto
Role: Comedian, actor, writer, director, producer
Known for: Nathan for You; The Rehearsal; The Curse; co-directing You Can See Everything (2026)
Citizenship: Canadian; naturalized U.S. citizen (2025, per public reporting)
Family (public): Married Sarah Ziolkowska (2011–2014)
Active since: Mid-2000s Canadian TV through present HBO / film work
Who is Nathan Fielder?
Nathan Joseph Fielder grew up in Vancouver in a Jewish family; both parents were social workers. He studied business at the University of Victoria (graduating 2005), briefly worked at a brokerage, then pivoted to comedy — including correspondent work on CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes and the “Nathan on Your Side” segments that foreshadowed his later persona.
His breakthrough was Nathan for You (Comedy Central, 2013–2017), in which a slightly more awkward version of Fielder offers absurd consulting advice to struggling small businesses (including the viral “Dumb Starbucks” stunt). After an HBO overall deal, he executive-produced How To with John Wilson, then created The Rehearsal (2022–), a docu-comedy about rehearsing real-life situations with elaborate sets and actors. With Benny Safdie he co-created The Curse (2023–2024), a scripted satire of reality TV and gentrification co-starring Emma Stone.
In 2026 he co-directed You Can See Everything with documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim for A24 — a nearly three-hour film that begins ~34 days before Holmes reports to prison and stretches into a multi-year project. Fielder has said he was skeptical a new documentary could break ground on the already-told Theranos story and negotiated a kill switch with A24 so the team could abandon the project if nothing emerged.
How the Elizabeth Holmes Doc 'You Can See Everything' Is Deceiving You
“You Can See Everything” is the new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. This is a no-spoilers review from a longtime profile writer. The film doesn’t just tell Holmes’s story. It steers how you feel about her through framing, editing and the timing of its reveals. Here’s how it works, and what to watch for.
Career timeline
2005 — Graduates University of Victoria (BCom); brief brokerage job
2006–2009 — Comedy training / CBC; This Hour Has 22 Minutes / “Nathan on Your Side”
2013–2017 — Nathan for You (Comedy Central), four seasons
2018 — Consulting producer / writer / co-director on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who Is America?
2019 — Signs overall deal with HBO; later EP on How To with John Wilson
2022 — The Rehearsal Season 1 (HBO); Independent Spirit Award for Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
2023–2024 — The Curse with Benny Safdie and Emma Stone (Showtime / Paramount+)
2023 — Named to Time 100 Most Influential People
2025 — The Rehearsal Season 2; becomes FAA-certified Boeing 737 commercial pilot as part of the show’s aviation arc (public reporting)
Sept–Oct 2026 — You Can See Everything premieres at Telluride (secret screening), screens at NYFF, theatrical release Oct. 16 (The Profile review)
Notable deals & projects
Nathan for You (Comedy Central): Signature early series; WGA Award winner for comedy/variety series work
HBO overall deal (2019): Platform for How To with John Wilson (EP) and The Rehearsal
The Curse (Showtime): Co-created with Benny Safdie; starring role opposite Emma Stone
You Can See Everything (A24, 2026): Feature documentary co-directed with Lance Oppenheim; ~2h 55m; theatrical Oct. 16, 2026
Summit Ice Apparel (2015–): Nonprofit outdoor brand Fielder founded after a Nathan for You storyline; profits directed to Holocaust education (Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre)
Want the full story? Read our documentary essay — Elizabeth Holmes Documentary Review: You Can See Everything — then subscribe free.
What they’re known for
Deadpan, cringe, and anti-humor that blurs comedy and documentary
Building elaborate “rehearsals” of real social situations
Collaborations with Safdie / Stone (The Curse) and Oppenheim (You Can See Everything)
Turning skepticism about a story into a formal experiment (the A24 kill switch)
A cult-to-mainstream arc from cable sketch energy to awards-circuit film
In the news
Oct. 2026: Theatrical release of You Can See Everything (A24), co-directed with Lance Oppenheim; Telluride surprise premiere and NYFF screenings drove heavy coverage. The Profile’s review focuses on how the film’s framing steers belief as much as it recounts Holmes’s story.
Ongoing discussion of The Rehearsal Season 2’s aviation / pilot-communication premise and Fielder’s real-world flight training related to the show.
Quotes
“We cannot promise we’ll deliver anything on this. We don’t know what the story is, but we want to just see what will happen if we go with cameras.” — Nathan Fielder, describing the pitch to A24 (NYFF / Film at Lincoln Center conversation, 2026)
“Sometimes I like putting myself in a situation where I have to genuinely dig myself out of a hole and I don’t really know how to.” — Nathan Fielder, on The Rehearsal Season 2 (Vulture interview)
“I’ll put myself in situations that are genuinely hard for the real me to do. And I’ll just try my hardest to do it… Then I don’t have to pretend, really — I’m bad at something, I’m just actually trying my best.” — Nathan Fielder (A24 Podcast / career interviews around You Can See Everything)
Controversies / criticism
Ethics of the method: Critics and fans debate whether Nathan for You / The Rehearsal exploit participants or collaborate with them; Fielder’s work leans into that ambiguity rather than resolving it.
Summit Ice / Paramount+: A Nathan for You episode tied to Summit Ice Apparel was later removed from Paramount+ amid broader platform sensitivity concerns; Fielder has publicly called Summit Ice among his proudest achievements.
FAA pushback (Rehearsal S2): Aviation authorities disputed the show’s framing of pilot communication as a safety issue; Fielder responded dismissively in interviews — part of the season’s publicity cycle.
Holmes access debate: You Can See Everything reignites arguments about platforming a convicted fraudster; The Profile’s review treats the film’s manipulation of the viewer as the central subject, not a simple rehabilitation narrative.
Net worth & money
No reliably audited public net-worth figure. Celebrity roundups sometimes float low-seven-figure estimates; treat those as speculative. Earnings come from TV deals (Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime), producing, and the 2026 documentary’s theatrical/awards profile — not a disclosed personal fortune like a public-company founder.
FAQ
Who is Nathan Fielder?
Nathan Fielder is a Canadian-American comedian and filmmaker known for Nathan for You, HBO’s The Rehearsal, The Curse (with Benny Safdie and Emma Stone), and co-directing the 2026 A24 documentary You Can See Everything.
What is Nathan Fielder known for?
Awkward, reality-bending comedy that stages elaborate social experiments — and, most recently, co-directing a secretive, nearly three-hour documentary about Elizabeth Holmes.
What shows has Nathan Fielder created?
Nathan for You; The Rehearsal; The Curse (co-created with Benny Safdie). He also executive-produced How To with John Wilson.
What is Nathan Fielder’s net worth?
Not cleanly verified in public filings. Ignore precise viral dollar figures unless tied to a primary disclosure.
Why is Nathan Fielder in the news?
You Can See Everything (Telluride / NYFF / Oct. 16, 2026 theatrical) put him at the center of the latest Elizabeth Holmes media cycle alongside co-director Lance Oppenheim.
Further reading
Elizabeth Holmes Documentary Review: You Can See Everything — The Profile
Who Is Lance Oppenheim? — The Profile (People to Know)
Nathan Fielder — overview biography
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