Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American
comedian,
television personality and
actor. Since 2004 he has been the host of
The Soup, a weekly comedy series that airs on
E!. McHale stars as
Jeff Winger in
NBC's
Community, which premiered in September 2009.
Early life
McHale was born in
Rome, Italy, the middle of three brothers, and is of
Irish and
Nordic descent.
[Joel McHale E! Bio] His mother, who is Canadian, grew up in
Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up in the
Seattle area, graduating from
Mercer Island High School in 1991.
He received a
bachelor's degree in History from the
University of Washington in 1995. While at the University of Washington, McHale belonged to the
Theta Chi Fraternity "for three horrible months".
[BS Report with Bill Simmons, ESPN Radio, 2/25/2009, 25 minute mark] He was recruited to be on the
rowing team, but later walked onto the
football team, playing
tight end for two years.
[Dan Steinberg (February 14, 2005). THECHAT. Washington Post. Accessed 2009-03-01.] He received a
Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington.
Personal life
McHale married Sarah Williams in 1996.
[Report on McHale's marriage] They have two sons: Edward Roy "Eddie" (born 2005)
and Isaac Hayden (born 2008).
They own homes in
Sammamish, Washington and the
Hollywood Hills.
[L.A. Times report on McHale's home in the Hollywood Hills]
Career
He was part of the
Almost Live! cast, a local sketch-comedy TV show produced by Seattle's
KING-TV (Channel 5). From 1993 until 1997, McHale 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.
[International Improv Festival]
After earning his master's degree in acting, he moved to
Los Angeles and landed small roles on
Oliver Beene,
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. He appeared in
Spider-Man 2 in a small role as 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 had a long association with
Circle X Theatre, where he has done several plays. McHale was a weekly guest on the
The Adam Carolla Show and
Mickey and Amelia, and occasional guest on the
Opie and Anthony Show.
[Joel_McHaleNew_O_A_VideosGood_bye_SyracuseTraveling_Virus_Tickets_On_Sale_NowNew_Videos_Online.html Joel McHale on Opie and Anthony] He has been a judge on
Iron Chef America. He was involved in the American version of the British TV show
The IT Crowd. He made a guest appearance on the finale of
Last Comic Standing sixth season, when he recapped the show's events in his typical format of jokes made popular on
The Soup. He occasionally appears on
MSNBC's
Countdown with Keith Olbermann in a humor sequence closing the show.
On June 1, 2009, McHale hosted
Ubisoft's media event at E3, showing off new and unannounced titles and introducing other guests.
He filmed
The Informant! in
Decatur, Illinois, in which he played FBI Agent Robert Herndon alongside
Matt Damon.
McHale stars in
Community,
which premiered in fall 2009. He continues to host
The Soup.
Filmography
Film
Television
