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Chris Gethard

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Chris Gethard
Gethard in July 2016
Born
Christopher Paul Gethard

(1980-05-23) May 23, 1980 (age 44)
West Orange, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
EducationRutgers University-New Brunswick[2]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
TelevisionThe Chris Gethard Show
Spouse
Hallie Bulleit
​
(m. 2014)​
Children1

Christopher Paul Gethard (/ˈɡɛθərd/; born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He was the host of The Chris Gethard Show, a talk show based in New York City, which aired from 2011 to 2018. He hosts the podcasts Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People and New Jersey is the World.

Early life

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Gethard grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, the son of Sally and Ken Gethard,[3][4] and attended Redwood Elementary, Edison Middle School, and West Orange High School.[5] As a child, Gethard was a visitor of the infamous Action Park.[6]

Career

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Gethard is an improvisational actor who worked 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.[7] Gethard graduated from Rutgers University in 2002 with a degree in American studies.[2] He started to do standup comedy in 2006.[8]

In 2013, the Independent Film Channel asked Gethard to write a pilot based on his book, A Bad Idea I'm About to Do. IFC gave Gethard a year, in addition to writing his pilot, to market for them at festivals and produce web content.[9]

In August 2016, Gethard participated for the first time in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing his show Career Suicide dealing with his experiences of depression, suicide attempts and alcoholism.[10] During his run at the festival, he also recorded an episode of Stuart Goldsmith's "Comedian's Comedian Podcast", which was published in December 2016.[11]

On May 6, 2017, HBO broadcast Career Suicide, an evening of standup comedy based on Gethard's off-Broadway show of the same title.[12] Produced by Judd Apatow, the HBO special has garnered praise from The New York Times, Time,[13] NPR,[14] The A.V. Club,[15] USA Today,[16] Entertainment Weekly,[17] The Daily Beast,[18] Paste,[19] The Huffington Post[20] and Splitsider.[21]

On October 10, 2019, he was featured in a 30-minute YouTube documentary called Laughing Matters, created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die, wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health.[22]

The Chris Gethard Show

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Gethard taping The Chris Gethard Show in 2011

Gethard hosted The Chris Gethard Show, a talk show that originally aired on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network and was streamed 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.[7] In a 2016 interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross he said he felt that The Chris Gethard Show had a manic energy, and was a way for him to channel his manic thoughts, and behavior.[23] 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 laid the groundwork for Gethard's comedic persona.[24]

The show was entirely self-funded, and none of the performers were paid for their time during its public access time. However, this largely surfaced as result of the style of Upright Citizens Brigade shows and the aesthetic of the show, Gethard had 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.[9] 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 was taped but ultimately 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, where it ran for two seasons.[25]

Throughout the show's many manifestations, it has attracted a number of celebrity guests, including P. Diddy, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Paul Giamatti, and Lena Dunham.[26]

After its run on Fusion, The Chris Gethard Show was picked up for a third season by truTV, and began airing live episodes in August 2017.[26] In August 2018, Gethard announced the show had been canceled and would not return for another season.[27]

Beautiful/Anonymous

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Gethard hosts the Earwolf 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!"[28] He won the Webby Award for Best Host in 2017.[29]

In Your Dreams

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Gethard co-hosted Earwolf's podcast, In Your Dreams, with Gary Richardson.[30] The podcast first aired on December 12, 2016, with special guest comedian Aparna Nancherla, and the ninth and final episode aired on February 6, 2017.[30]

Planet Scum Live

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Main article: Planet Scum Live

Gethard has hosted the show Planet Scum Live, the title of which was given to his live streaming comedy network, since May 3, 2020.[citation needed]

New Jersey is the World

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In January 2021, Gethard debuted a new podcast, New Jersey is the World.[31] The podcast features Gethard discussing New Jersey history, lore, food, and more with his co-hosts, several childhood friends, and guests.

Books

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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.[32] Previously, Gethard served as an editorial assistant for the popular Weird NJ and Weird US publications.[33] On October 16, 2018, Gethard's self-help narrative Lose Well was published out of HarperCollins's HarperOne imprint.[34]

Interactions with fans

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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.[7] After this the notion of random, unknown fans becoming regular cast members became popular. The show continued this trend through its public access run, having a new "random" as a cast member for 15 episodes.

Personal life

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Gethard married Hallie Bulleit, band leader for The Chris Gethard Show and lead singer of The Unlovables,[35] on August 30, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York.[36][unreliable source?] The service was performed by fellow Chris Gethard Show cast member Murf Meyer.[37] The couple had a son, Caleb David Gethard, in April 2019.

Chris Gethard has been diagnosed with manic depression. He stated that early on the mania portion of the manic depression diagnosis was worse than the depression portion.[38] He also said he manages his symptoms through medication, therapy, and support from his wife.[39]

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.[40]

Gethard has stated that his favorite sport is basketball and he is a New York Knicks fan. His favorite player growing up was Knicks guard John Starks, who appeared on The Chris Gethard Show in 2016.[41]

Bibliography

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Books

  • Weird New York: Your Guide to New York's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (2010)
  • A Bad Idea I'm About to Do: True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure (2012)
  • Lose Well (2018)
  • The Lonely Dad Conversations (2023)
  • Dad at Peace (2024)

Essays

  • Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness (Scribd, 2022)[1]
  • Why I Want My Son to Grow Up in Jersey (New Jersey Fan Club, Rutgers University Press, 2022)[42]

Discography

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  • My Comedy Album (2014)
  • Career Suicide (2017)
  • Taylor Ham, Egg, And Cheese (2019)
  • Chris Gethard: Half My Life (2021)

Filmography

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Films

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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 Young Boss #1
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
Ghostbusters Himself Extra
2020 Class Action Park Himself Interviewee
2023 She Came to Me Carl

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Crossballs: The Debate Show Writer/Additional Characters
Hope & Faith Wally Episode: "Hope Gets a Job"
2007 Saturday Night Live Guest Writer Episode: "Scarlett Johansson/Björk"
The Knights of Prosperity Burton Employee Episode: "Operation: Caught on Tape"
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 Episode: "Eddie"
Bored to Death Super Ray Fan Episode: "Nothing I Can't Handle by Running Away"
2011–2018 The Chris Gethard Show Host
2012 Conan Himself
Bunk Himself
2013 The Office Trevor 3 episodes
2014–2016 Broad City Todd 6 episodes
2015 Parks and Recreation Kipp Bunthart Episode: "Pie-Mary"
2016 Netflix Presents: The Characters Male Celeb Episode: "Natasha Rothwell"
2015–2016 Inside Amy Schumer Steve/Chris/Juror #2 3 episodes
2017 Chris Gethard: Career Suicide Himself HBO special
Blindspot Dr. Gary Lemarsh Episode: "Lepers Repel"
2018 No Activity Zach 3 episodes
2019 Crashing Himself Episode: "Mulaney"
Helpsters Pete's Dad Episode: "Dancer Dave/Astronaut Amrita"[43]
2019–2020 Chris Gethard Presents Himself/Producer
2020 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Toby 2 episodes
Dark Side of the Ring: After Dark Host
Planet Scum Live Himself (host)
2020–2022 Space Force Eddie Recurring role
The George Lucas Talk Show Himself 11 episodes
2021 Chris Gethard: Half My Life Himself
2022 Would I Lie to You? (US) Himself Episode: "Show Goat"
Everything's Trash Atticus Wolinsky 2 episodes
Out of Office Winston TV movie
2023 Lucky Hank Jeffrey Epstein 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ Rose, Lisa (August 16, 2010). "New Jersey native Chris Gethard to star in 'Big Lake' on Comedy Central". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Cantor, Carla (June 5, 2017). "Rutgers Alumnus Shines Light on Dark Places". Rutgers Today. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "Beautiful/Anonymous: "Sorry Sally" T-Shirt - PodSwag". PodSwag. Chris Gethard's mother, Sally,
  4. ^ "Ask a Grown-Up - This American Life". This American Life. March 17, 2017. Then we found Ken Gethard, comedian Chris Gethard's dad,
  5. ^ Mishkin, Budd (May 13, 2014). "One On 1 Profile: Comedian Chris Gethard Offers a Unique Approach to the Entertainment Industry With His Public Access Following". NY1. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. 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.
  6. ^ Chaney, Jen (September 4, 2020). "Class Action Park Forces Us to Wrestle With Toxic Nostalgia". Vulture. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Raftery, Brian (March 22, 2012). "The Carson of Cable Access". New York. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  8. ^ Gross, Terry (October 24, 2016). "Manic And Depressed, 'I Didn't Like Who I Was,' Says Comic Chris Gethard". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Heisler, Steve (February 14, 2013). "Chris Gethard explains his new IFC deal and how he makes his public-access show". A.V. Club. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  10. ^ Colter Walls, Seth (July 30, 2016). "Chris Gethard: turning shame and pain into laughs". The Guardian.
  11. ^ "189 – Chris Gethard | The Comedian's Comedian". comedianscomedian.com. December 5, 2016.
  12. ^ "Chris Gethard's Off-Broadway Career Suicide Sets HBO Air Date | Playbill". Playbill. March 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Chan, Melissa (May 5, 2017). "Comedian Chris Gethard Is Risking His Career to Tackle This Topic". Time. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  14. ^ Holmes, Linda (May 6, 2017). "Chris Gethard Isn't Kidding About 'Career Suicide'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  15. ^ Adams, Erik (May 5, 2017). "It takes strength to be as gentle, kind, and funny as Chris Gethard's Career Suicide". AV Club. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  16. ^ Ryan, Patrick. "How Chris Gethard's suicide attempt inspired his HBO comedy special". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  17. ^ Bacle, Ariana (May 5, 2017). "Chris Gethard Is Far From 'Career Suicide' in New Show: EW Review". EW.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  18. ^ Wilstein, Matt (January 30, 2017). "Chris Gethard Talks Turning Depression Into Comedy with 'Career Suicide'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  19. ^ Techler, Graham (May 6, 2017). "In His Superb Career Suicide, Heaven Knows Chris Gethard's Miserable Now". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  20. ^ Capewell, Jillian (May 4, 2017). "Chris Gethard's 'Career Suicide' Blurs The Line That Separates Tragedy And Comedy". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  21. ^ Abriss, Erik (May 5, 2017). "Chris Gethard on 'Career Suicide's Journey from the Stage to HBO". Splitsider. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  22. ^ Comedians Tackling Depression & Anxiety Makes Us Feel Seen | Laughing Matters | Documentary, October 10, 2019, retrieved October 30, 2019
  23. ^ Gross, Terry (October 24, 2016). "Manic And Depressed, 'I Didn't Like Who I Was,' Says Comic Chris Gethard". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  24. ^ "Chris Gethard: The Blind Pig". Ann Arbor Observer. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  25. ^ Gross, Terry (October 24, 2016). "Manic And Depressed, 'I Didn't Like Who I Was,' Says Comic Chris Gethard". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Petski, Denise (May 4, 2017). "'The Chris Gethard Show' Lands At TruTV; Will Be Broadcast Live". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  27. ^ Wright, Megh. "Chris Gethard Announces the End of The Chris Gethard Show". Vulture. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  28. ^ Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People, Earwolf, Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  29. ^ "Webby Awards: Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People". Webby Awards. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  30. ^ a b In Your Dreams with Chris Gethard, presented by Casper Earwolf, Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  31. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (January 14, 2021). "N.J. comedian Chris Gethard to host 'New Jersey is the World' podcast". nj. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  32. ^ "Nemeses". This American Life. December 16, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  33. ^ Nardine, Kyle (April 5, 2023). "New Jersey is the World brings together all the weird pieces that make up the Garden State". NJ Indy. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  34. ^ "Lose Well". HarperCollins Publishers. HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  35. ^ Fox, Jesse David (May 5, 2017). "Conversations About Death and Comedy With Chris Gethard". Vulture.
  36. ^ "Chris Gethard Ended Dating Affair And Married The Love Of His Life; Maintaining A Healthy Relationship With Wife And Career?". LIVERAMPUP. April 11, 2017.
  37. ^ Gordon, Arielle (August 1, 2017). "BV interview w/ Chris Gethard: "In the end I always ask myself — what would Jeff Rosenstock do?"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved August 23, 2017. The people involved in the show are my family. In one case literally, as I married Hallie [Bulleit], the leader of our house band. Murf was our reverend. I was the reverend at his wedding, after he got engaged live on the show.
  38. ^ Gross, Terry (October 24, 2016). "Manic And Depressed, 'I Didn't Like Who I Was,' Says Comic Chris Gethard". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  39. ^ "Comedian Chris Gethard Turns Bipolar Depression into an HBO Special". bphope. Everyday Health, Inc. February 12, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  40. ^ Gethard, Chris (November 30, 2012). "This Charming Band". Slate. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  41. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "NBA Legend John Starks' Favorite Dunk May Surprise You". YouTube. April 20, 2016.
  42. ^ ""New Jersey Fan Club - Artists and Writers Celebrate the Garden State". Rutgers University Press. June 17, 2022". Rutgers University Press. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  43. ^ "Helpsters" Dancer Dave/Astronaut Amrita (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb, retrieved February 2, 2022
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