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Joel McHale
McHale at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International
Birth name	Joel Edward McHale
Born	(1971-11-20) November 20, 1971 (age 53) Rome, Italy
Medium	Film television stand-up
Years active	1993–present
Genres	Political satire observational comedy
Subject(s)	Celebrities pop culture American culture
Spouse	Sarah Williams ​(m. 1996)​
Children	2
Website	www.joelmchale.com

Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, television producer, and television host. He is known for hosting The Soup and portraying Jeff Winger on the NBC/Yahoo! sitcom Community. He has appeared in the films Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011) and Ted (2012). He also starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Great Indoors.

Early life

McHale was born in Rome, Italy, where his father, Jack McHale, worked as Dean of Students at Loyola University Rome Center. His mother, Laurie, is from Vancouver, Canada; and his father is from Chicago, Illinois. Of Irish and Norwegian descent, he was raised Catholic. He grew up in Seattle, Washington, and briefly in Haddonfield, New Jersey, near Philadelphia, before returning to his native Washington state. He attended Mercer Island High School.

McHale received a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Washington (1995) and briefly belonged to Theta Chi.

He was recruited to be on the rowing team but later joined the football team. Despite that most of his teammates were receiving athletic scholarships, McHale was a walk on, playing tight end for two years. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington. He is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks.

Career

Comedy

McHale was part of the Almost Live! cast, a local sketch-comedy television show produced by Seattle's KING-TV (broadcast Channel 5). From 1993 to 1997, he was a member of the improv comedy group at Unexpected Productions, participating in Theatersports! at the Market Theater located in Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.

Acting

After earning his master's degree in acting, McHale moved to Los Angeles and landed small roles in Diagnosis: Murder, CSI: Miami, and Will & Grace. He played a TV reporter in the biopic Lords of Dogtown. He guest-starred as a cast member on the NBC improv comedy show Thank God You're Here during the pilot episode and had a guest role on an episode of Pushing Daisies. McHale also appeared in Spider-Man 2 in a small role as Mr. Jacks, a bank manager.

In 2004 McHale began hosting The Soup, a satirical weekly television show on the "E!" television network. Throughout the show, he takes the audience through the oddities and ridiculous happenings of the week in television. He frequently appears as a co-host on Loveline. He has also had a long association with Circle X Theatre, where he has done several plays. McHale was a weekly guest on The Adam Carolla Show and Mickey and Amelia, and occasional guest on the Opie and Anthony Show. He has been a judge on Iron Chef America. He was involved in the American version of the British TV show The IT Crowd. McHale made a guest appearance on the finale of Last Comic Standing's sixth season, when he recapped the show's events in his typical format of jokes made popular on The Soup. He occasionally appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann in a humor sequence closing the show.

McHale starred in the sitcom Community, which premiered in winter 2009, and continued to host The Soup. McHale made an appearance on the first episode of the fifth season of Tosh.0. He played Rex in Ted (2012) and had a short guest stint on the FX show Sons of Anarchy. He played an NYPD officer in the supernatural horror film Deliver Us from Evil. McHale appeared in The X-Files' 2016 miniseries.

McHale played the lead role in the CBS sitcom The Great Indoors, which began airing in the Fall of 2016.

Hosting

McHale was the host at the 2014 White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner. He hosted the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards and the 2015 ESPY Awards. In 2016, he appeared as an occasional co-host alongside Kelly Ripa in the ABC morning show Live! with Kelly. McHale hosted the 43rd People's Choice Awards on January 18, 2017 and the 2017 Webby Awards on May 15, 2017.

In January 2018, it was announced that he will be receiving his own talk show on Netflix in February. The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale combines celebrity guests, pre-taped sketches and video clips in a half-hour series that focuses on pop culture and news from around the world.

Personal life

McHale married Sarah Williams in 1996. They have two sons. They live in Hollywood Hills, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Books

• McHale, Joel (October 25, 2016). Thanks for the Money: How to Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be. Penguin Audio. ISBN 978-0735289000.

References

1. Smith, Grady (November 25, 2011). "Monitor: Nov. 25, 2011". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1182. p. 30. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
2. Mercer Island dons its autumn cloak Archived January 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, pnwlocalnews.com; accessed February 25, 2014
3. "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT, One-on-one with Joel McHale; The Great Anjelica Huston". CNN. March 15, 2012.
4. Strawberry, Saroyan (June 2008). "Joel McHale". Details. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
5. Brodeur, Nicole (August 22, 2004). "From Mercer Island, jumping into "The Soup"". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
6. Curran, Dan (October 16, 2008). "An interview with the king of snark Joel McHale". onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
7. Steinberg, Dan (February 14, 2005). "THECHAT: Joel McHale". The Washington Post. p. D02. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
8. McHale, Joel (September 29, 2011). "The Walk-On: The Community star recalls his two-year football career at the University of Washington". Grantland. ESPN Ventures. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
9. International Improv Festival Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine; accessed February 25, 2014
10. imdb.com Spider-Man 2
11. Joel McHale on Opie and Anthony; accessed February 25, 2014
12. The Failed U.S. Remake Of The IT Crowd Is Fascinating To Watch
13. Richard Ayoade Regrets Doing the U.S. Pilot for ‘The IT Crowd’ | Anglophenia | BBC America
14. Fernandez, Maria Elena (April 4, 2009). "NBC unveils new programs for fall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
15. Weprin, Alex (May 4, 2009). "E! Expects Joel McHale To Stay On 'Soup'". Retrieved May 4, 2009.
16. "Joel McHale talks 'Community,' 'Soup' and upcoming movie". masslive.com.
17. "Why Joel McHale Is Even More Excited About The X-Files Revival Than You Are". E! Online. July 14, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
18. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 16, 2016). "Joel McHale to Star in CBS Comedy Pilot 'The Great Indoors.'" Variety.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
19. Rife, Katie (May 18, 2016). "Manly Men and Eccentric Geniuses Dominate CBS’s Fall Schedule." AVClub.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
20. "Joel McHale will host the White House Correspondents' Dinner". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
21. "The 21st Annual Webby Awards Honor This Year's Internet VIPs". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
22. "Netflix Nabs Joel McHale for Weekly Talk Show". TVGuide.com. January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
23. Report on McHale's marriage Archived May 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
24. The Soup. January 15, 2010. E!.
25. "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for March 12". Retrieved January 15, 2010.
26. "'Flipping Out's' Ryan Brown settles down in Los Feliz". latimes.

External links

• Official website
• Joel McHale at IMDb
• Biography at E! Online

• 1971 births
• 20th-century American comedians
• 21st-century American comedians
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• American infotainers
• American male film actors
• American male screenwriters
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• American male writers
• American people of Canadian descent
• American people of Irish descent
• American people of Norwegian descent
• American stand-up comedians
• American television personalities
• American television producers
• American television writers
• Italian emigrants to the United States
• Living people
• Male actors from Rome
• Male actors from Seattle
• Male television writers
• University of Washington alumni
• Washington Huskies football players
• Writers from Seattle