American actor and stand-up comedian Emo Phillips once lived and worked in New York City, and his act included a joke about the city’s smell.
   
“When I leave new york I get homesick, so i fill the humidifier with urine” was posted on the newsgroup alt.comedy.standup on March 3, 1999. “I miss New York so much, when I go home I fill my humidifier with urine” was printed in the Home News Tribune (East Brunswick, NJ) on November 19, 1999. “@EmoPhilips On coming back to NYC, where he once lived: ‘I miss New York so much sometimes I fill my humidifier with urine’” was posted on Twitter by Jack Lawrence on April 5, 2019.
   
       
Wikipedia: Emo Philips
Phillip Soltanec (born February 7, 1956), also known publicly as Emo Phillips is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer and producer. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice. The confused, childlike delivery of his material produces the intended comic timing in a manner invoking the “wisdom of children” or the idiot savant.
     
Google Groups: alt.comedy.standup
Emo Philips?
Jaymiller7
Mar 3, 1999, 3:00:00 AM
(...)
“When I leave new york I get homesick, so i fill the humidifier with urine.”
 
19 November 1999, Home News Tribune (East Brunswick, NJ), “Emo Phillips will do anything for a laugh—even become an art exhibit” by Ed Condran, Guide to Reality, pg. 9, col. 1:
“I miss New York so much, when I go home I fill my humidifier with urine.”
     
Google Groups: alt.comedy.standup
Outdated bit you REFUSE to throw away…
Jim Slotek
Sep 22, 2001, 7:13:44 PM
I interviewed Emo Philips on Friday, and his first shows since WTC are in Toronto at three different Yuk Yuks this week.
 
The only line he said he’s going to scrap is one he has about how much he loves New York. “I miss it so much every so often I put urine in my humidifier, just to recapture the feeling.”
     
COmic’s Comic
Emo Philips: Comedy Genius
by Sean L. McCarthy January 19, 2008
(...)
On coming back to NYC, where he once lived: “I miss New York so much sometimes I fill my humidifier with urine.”
     
Tippecanoe Gazette
Emo Philips returns to Dayton
Nov 9, 2010
(...)
For a time Philips also resided in New York City, whenever he longs to be back there he fills his humidifier with urine and feels as if he never left.
   
Twitter
SHAWN
@TheJapanChapter”
I used to live in New York. Loved it. Sometimes I miss it so much that I fill my humidifier with urine.”
- Emo Phillips.
#LOL #TGIF #Tokyo
12:18 PM · Feb 23, 2012·Twitter for iPhone
   
tumblr
TRUMP THO  
I miss New York so much I filled my humidifier with urine.
Emo Phillips
Feb 19th, 2015
   
Twitter
Alex G
@AlextheGreif
LOL “No, I love New York City. I used to live there. Sometimes I miss it so much, I’ll fill my humidifier with urine.”- Emo Philips
1:21 PM · Nov 25, 2015·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
JP
@jpride
Replying to @WhatTheFFacts
@WhatTheFFacts @jeffdonehoo have you smelled NYC lately? “Sometimes when I miss New York City, I put urine in my humidifier.” -Emo Phillips
10:07 AM · Mar 30, 2016·TweetDeck
 
Twitter
Jack Lawrence
@senatorwu
@EmoPhilips On coming back to NYC, where he once lived: “I miss New York so much sometimes I fill my humidifier with urine.”
1:01 PM · Apr 5, 2019·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
Firesign Theater
@EliasonRich
Replying to @normmacdonald
Emo Phillips -
“When I miss living in NYC I put urine in my humidifier.”
8:59 PM · Oct 18, 2019·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
Stephen Rojak
@StephenRojak
Replying to @karol
I miss New York so much I put urine in my humidifier.—Emo Phillips
5:43 AM · Apr 30, 2020·Twitter for Android