Chris Gethard

Chris Gethard

Gethard performing in New York City in July 2016.
Born Christopher Paul Gethard
(1980-05-23) May 23, 1980
West Orange, New Jersey[1]
Occupation Actor, Comedian, Writer
Spouse(s) Hallie Bulleit

Christopher Paul "Chris" Gethard (pronounced /ˈɡɛθərd/; born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is the host of The Chris Gethard Show, a talk show based out of New York City since 2011, which currently airs on Fusion.

Life and career

Personal life

Gethard taping The Chris Gethard Show in September 2011

Gethard grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, the son of Martha and Jeremy Gethard, and attended West Orange High School.[2] Gethard is also the author of Weird NY, a book detailing the ghost stories and urban legends of New York City, and A Bad Idea I'm About to Do, a collection of stories from Gethard's life, which has been highlighted on This American Life.[3] Previously, Gethard served as an editorial assistant for the popular Weird NJ and Weird US publications.

He is an avid fan of The Smiths and has two tattoos related to the band—Morrissey's signature on his right shoulder (based on an actual signature he got in marker on his arm), and "It takes strength to be gentle and kind," a lyric from "I Know It's Over," on his right biceps.[4]

Comedy

In addition to his books, Gethard is an improvisational actor who works largely out of Manhattan's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He began taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2000 while he was a student at Rutgers University.[5] He is in the longform improvisation team The Stepfathers. He organizes a monthly show entitled "The Nights of Our Lives". He has also been part of the UCB Theater's national touring company. An early noted work was entitled Darryl, a one-man show where he portrayed troubled baseball player Darryl Strawberry.

Gethard also wrote the web series The Most Awkward Boy in the World which starred fellow Stepfathers member Zach Woods.

Gethard was featured on Variety magazine's "Ten Comics to Watch in 2010" list.

Gethard has appeared in multiple CollegeHumor.com videos. He has also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Hope and Faith and Comedy Central's Crossballs.

In April 2010, he was tapped as the lead, alongside Horatio Sanz and Chris Parnell, in the Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake. In May 2012, during the CollegeHumor All-Nighter, Gethard announced he would be opening a strawberry farm in upper New Jersey.

Gethard released his first comedy album, My Comedy Album, on April 22, 2014 on New Jersey's Don Giovanni Records.

The Chris Gethard Show

Gethard currently hosts The Chris Gethard Show, a talkshow that airs on New York City public-access and is streaming around the world on Gethard's website. The show began as a live piece at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in 2009. Gethard then went to Los Angeles to pitch a network version of the show, but ended up returning to New York City to produce it for public-access because he wanted to retain the chaotic, cheap feel of early MTV talk shows. The show has since grown to consist of both stage and filmed performances. It has developed a reputation for outrageous spectacle, often featuring awkward viewer calls, high-concept group segments and Gethard subjecting himself to abuse, including an episode where he hired a kickboxer to hit him if he failed to answer simple questions about his friends.[5] As a child, Gethard admired comedians who seemed to be able to do whatever they wanted, such as Howard Stern, Andy Kaufman and David Letterman. This interest influenced the style of The Chris Gethard Show and Gethard's comedic persona.

The show is entirely self-funded and none of the performers are paid for their time. Though this largely surfaced as result of the style of Upright Citizens Brigade shows and the aesthetic of the show, Gethard has stated that he would not be opposed to the show being picked up by a television network. He met with a number of network producers, but the show was not picked up, the primary concern being its unpredictable nature and frequent swearing.[6] In early 2014, Comedy Central ordered a pilot from TCGS, to be co-produced by Funny or Die, leading to a brief hiatus from the weekly program. The pilot has since been taped, and was not picked up by Comedy Central. The show returned to MNN from April to January 2015. In its final MNN episode it was announced that the show had been picked up by Fusion, and will air 10 episodes in April.

In 2013, Gethard was propositioned by the Independent Film Channel to write a pilot based on his book, A Bad Idea I'm About to Do. In addition to writing his pilot, IFC gave Gethard a year to market for them at festivals and produce web content.[6]

Beautiful/Anonymous

Gethard is currently the host of Earwolf's podcast Beautiful/Anonymous, which first aired on March 15, 2016. The following is Earwolf's description of the show: "1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. That’s the premise behind Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, hosted by comedian Chris Gethard". "Every week, Chris opens the phone line to one anonymous caller, and he can’t hang up first, no matter what. From shocking confessions and family secrets to philosophical discussions and shameless self-promotion, anything can and will happen!"

Interactions with fans

Gethard walked from Los Angeles to Bonnaroo (Tennesee) relying only on the good will of others to help him. He has a series of YouTube videos that document his trip. The videos include trips in vans and driving a firetruck.

The Chris Gethard Show is well known for its audience interaction. One show featured a woman calling in to inquire about the purpose of the show. Gethard invited her to join them and she became a regular for four months.[5] After this the notion of random, unknown fans becoming regular cast members became popular. The show has continued this trend, having a new "random" as a cast member for 15 episodes.

Discography

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
2005 M.A.S. Head Elf Video Short
2009 May the Best Man Win Tommy
2010 Snoopy Lamp Officer Wengert Video Short
The Other Guys Clerk
2011 Adults Michael Video Short
A Novel Romance Unnamed Character
2012 The Dictator Clark
2013 Iron Man 3 Juan Uncredited
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Dr. Jordan Reed
The Heat Himself
2016 Don't Think Twice Bill

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2004 Crossballs: The Debate Show Writer; Additional Characters
Hope & Faith Wally
2007 Saturday Night Live Guest Writer Episode: "Scarlett Johansson/Björk"
The Knights of Prosperity Burton Employee
2010 Big Lake Josh Franklin 10 episodes
2010–2012 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Himself 3 episodes
2011 The Back Room Himself, Banjo Kid from Deliverance TV Series Short; 2 Episodes
Hardly Working Hugh Jackman, C-Snap TV Series Short
Louie Open Mic Host
Bored to Death Super Ray Fan
2011–present The Chris Gethard Show Host
2012 Conan Himself
Bunk Himself
2013 The Office Trevor 3 episodes
2014–present Broad City Todd
2015 Parks and Recreation Kip Bunthart Episode: "Pie-Mary"
2016 Netflix Presents: The Characters Male Celeb Episode: "Natasha Rothwell"

References

  1. ↑ Rose, Lisa (2010-08-16). "New Jersey native Chris Gethard to star in 'Big Lake' on Comedy Central". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2012-12-22.
  2. ↑ Staff. "One On 1 Profile: Comedian Chris Gethard Offers a Unique Approach to the Entertainment Industry With His Public Access Following", NY1, May 12, 2014. Accessed August 22, 2016. "It's not every comedian who can say they played Giants Stadium. Chris Gethard did with the 1996 West Orange, N.J. High School Marching Mountaineers."
  3. ↑ "Nemeses". This American Life. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  4. ↑ Gethard, Chris (November 30, 2012). "This Charming Band". Slate. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Raftery, Brian. "The Carson of Cable Access". New York Magazine. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  6. 1 2 Heisler, Steve. "Chris Gethard explains his new IFC deal and how he makes his public-access show". A.V. Club. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

External links

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