Adam Carolla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adam Carolla
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Carolla in 2025
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| Born | May 27, 1964 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Television |
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| Spouse(s) |
Lynette Paradise
(m. 2002; div. 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American comedian, actor, and host of radio shows, TV shows, and podcasts. He is best known for hosting The Adam Carolla Show, a popular talk show that is released as a podcast.
From 1995 to 2005, Carolla co-hosted the radio advice show Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky. They also had a TV version of the show on MTV from 1996 to 2000. He co-created and co-hosted the comedy show The Man Show from 1999 to 2004. He also co-created the prank call show Crank Yankers.
Carolla has appeared on reality TV shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Celebrity Apprentice. He has also written several bestselling books.
Contents
Early Life and School
Adam Carolla was born on May 27, 1964, in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley. His parents, Jim and Kris, separated when he was young. As a joke, he once wrote "Lakers" as his middle name on a driver's license application, and it was approved.
He went to North Hollywood High School. For years, the school kept his diploma because of a library fine. He finally paid the fine and got his diploma on his 2005 TV show, The Adam Carolla Project.
In his youth, Carolla played football for seven years. He said that sports helped him deal with a difficult home life. He was a good player and was named to the First Team Offensive Line for his league in 1981.
After high school, he lived on his own and worked many different jobs. He was a carpet cleaner, a carpenter, and a boxing instructor. In the early 1990s, he started studying improvisational comedy and performing with comedy groups.
Career in Radio and Podcasts
Getting Started in Radio
In 1994, Carolla volunteered to be a boxing trainer for Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel was working for the radio station KROQ-FM and needed to train for a celebrity boxing match. This led to a long friendship and work partnership with Kimmel. Carolla also got a regular role on KROQ's morning show, playing a character named Mr. Birchum.
Loveline
In 1995, Carolla became the co-host of the radio call-in show Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky. Listeners would call in to ask for advice about life and relationships. Dr. Drew gave thoughtful advice, while Carolla provided the comedy. The show was very popular and was broadcast across the country.
The Adam Carolla Show
In 2006, Carolla started hosting his own morning radio show, The Adam Carolla Show. It replaced The Howard Stern Show in many cities after Stern moved to satellite radio. The show ran until 2009, when the radio station changed its format.
The Adam Carolla Podcast
Just days after his radio show ended in 2009, Carolla launched The Adam Carolla Podcast. It quickly became the number one podcast on iTunes. In its first week, it was downloaded 1.6 million times.
In 2011, the podcast earned a Guinness World Record for being the most downloaded podcast. It had over 59 million unique downloads between 2009 and 2011.
Television Career
Early TV Shows
From 1996 to 2000, Carolla and Dr. Drew hosted a TV version of Loveline on MTV. In 1999, he and his friend Jimmy Kimmel created The Man Show for Comedy Central.
Carolla and his production partner Daniel Kellison also created Crank Yankers. The show used puppets to act out real prank phone calls. Carolla also voiced characters on the show, including his old radio character, Mr. Birchum.
Reality TV and Hosting
In 2005, Carolla hosted a home-makeover show called The Adam Carolla Project. On the show, he and his friends fixed up the house he grew up in.
In 2008, he was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. His partner was professional dancer Julianne Hough. He was voted off in the fourth week.
In 2012, Carolla competed on The Celebrity Apprentice. He was fired in the fourth week of the competition. In 2022, he appeared on The Masked Singer as the character "Avocado."
Car-Themed Shows
Carolla, a big car fan, has hosted several shows about cars. In 2011, he hosted The Car Show on Speed TV.
From 2014 to 2015, he hosted Catch a Contractor on the Spike network. In the show, he helped homeowners who had problems with bad contractors.
In 2017, he hosted Adam Carolla and Friends Build Stuff Live, where he and celebrity guests worked on building projects in front of a live audience.
Voice Acting
Carolla has been a voice actor for many animated shows. He was the voice of Commander Nebula in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Death on Family Guy. He also voiced the character Spanky Ham in Drawn Together and the police officer Wynchell in the Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph.
Movies and Books
Filmmaking
Carolla has starred in, written, and directed several movies. In 2007, he starred in The Hammer, a movie based loosely on his own life as a boxer and carpenter.
In 2015, he directed and starred in Road Hard, a movie about the life of a traveling comedian. He also directed a documentary called Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman, about the famous actor's 35-year racing career. In 2019, he co-directed and appeared in the documentary No Safe Spaces.
Writing Books
Carolla has written several successful books.
- The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and Love (1998), co-written with Dr. Drew Pinsky.
- Not Taco Bell Material (2012), a book about his life.
- President Me: The America That's in My Head (2014), a book of his ideas for the country, written with comedy.
- Daddy, Stop Talking!: And Other Things My Kids Want But Won't Be Getting (2015), a book about parenting.
- I'm Your Emotional Support Animal (2020), a book about modern culture.
- Everything Reminds Me of Something (2022).
Personal Life
Carolla married Lynette Paradise in 2002. They have twin children, a daughter named Natalia and a son named Santino, who were born in 2006. The couple divorced in 2021.
Carolla is a major car collector. He owns over 20 cars, including rare Lamborghinis from the 1960s and 1970s. He also owns several vintage race cars, including one once driven by actor and racer Paul Newman.
He is also a skilled race car driver. He won the Pro/Celebrity Race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach twice, once as an amateur in 2012 and once as a professional in 2013.
Honors
- An asteroid, (4535) Adamcarolla, is named after him.
- He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio in 2025.
Images for kids
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Carolla in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Adam Carolla para niños
