SU alum Mary Shalaby joins NBC comedy pilot cast
Mary Shalaby, who graduated from Syracuse University in 2024, has amassed nearly 1.5 million followers across social media platforms. Shalaby joins actors Keith David and Jake Johnson in the untitled NBC comedy pilot. Cassie Roshu | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse University alum Mary Shalaby has joined the cast of an untitled NBC comedy pilot, Variety announced Wednesday.
The show’s exact plot has not been announced, but it follows the staff of a private investigation agency. Shalaby will play Raya, a “flagrantly disinterested receptionist at the Grant Taggart PI Agency,” according to the release.
Shalaby joins Emmy-award winning actor Keith David and “New Girl” lead Jake Johnson (who played an SU alum in the 2010s sitcom). The show is written and produced by Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici, the creative minds behind “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
Known as @real_mary_mother_of_god on TikTok, Mary Shalaby will be part of NBC’s new comedy pilot. Shalaby returned to her alma mater in December to open for University Union’s A Night with Connor Wood. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
Shalaby graduated from SU in 2024. Known on TikTok as @real_mary_mother_of_god, Shalaby has amassed nearly 1.5 million followers across social media platforms. Shalaby hosts her own regular comedy show “Mary Shalaby’s National Dog Show” in New York City and often opens for Connor Wood on his “Fibs & Friends” tour. Her comedy career began during her time at SU, garnering over 700,000 TikTok followers by her senior year.
Shalaby’s videos include stream-of-consciousness bits, stand-up and comedic skits. The first comedy video she posted on TikTok was her first-ever stand-up set at The Playground, a student-run comedy basement venue.
Shalaby returned to her alma mater in December to open for University Union’s “A Night with Connor Wood” alongside comedian Maggie Winters. During her performance, Shalaby donned her SU cap and gown and made many references to her time on campus, including her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, her time in Zamboni Revolution and The Playground and a run-in with SU Chancellor Kent Syverud.
