American actor and comedian
Christopher Paul Gethard (; 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.
Gethard grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, the son of Sally and Ken Gethard, and attended Redwood Elementary, Edison Middle School, and West Orange High School. As a child, Gethard was a visitor of the infamous Action Park.
Career.
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. Gethard graduated from Rutgers University in 2002 with a degree in American studies. He started to do standup comedy in 2006.
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.
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. 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.
On May 6, 2017, HBO broadcast "Career Suicide", an evening of standup comedy based on Gethard's off-Broadway show of the same title. Produced by Judd Apatow, the HBO special has garnered praise from "The New York Times", "Time", NPR, "The A.V. Club", "USA Today", "Entertainment Weekly", "The Daily Beast", "Paste", "The Huffington Post" and Splitsider.
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.
"The Chris Gethard Show".
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. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. In August 2018, Gethard announced the show had been canceled and would not return for another season.
"Beautiful/Anonymous".
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!" He won the Webby Award for Best Host in 2017.
"In Your Dreams".
Gethard co-hosted Earwolf's podcast, "In Your Dreams", with Gary Richardson. 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.
"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.
"New Jersey is the World".
In January 2021, Gethard debuted a new podcast, "New Jersey is the World". The podcast features Gethard discussing New Jersey history, lore, food, and more with his co-hosts, several childhood friends, and guests.
Books.
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". Previously, Gethard served as an editorial assistant for the popular "Weird NJ" and "Weird US" publications. On October 16, 2018, Gethard's self-help narrative "Lose Well" was published out of HarperCollins's HarperOne imprint.
Interactions with fans.
"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. 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.
Gethard married Hallie Bulleit, band leader for "The Chris Gethard Show" and lead singer of The Unlovables, on August 30, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York. The service was performed by fellow "Chris Gethard Show" cast member Murf Meyer. 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. He also said he manages his symptoms through medication, therapy, and support from his wife.
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.
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.
Bibliography.
Books
Essays
References.
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