Bo Burnham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bo Burnham
Burnham in 2018
Born	Robert Pickering Burnham (1990-08-21) August 21, 1990 (age 34) Hamilton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Stand-up comedian musician actor filmmaker YouTuber
Years active	2006–present
Comedy career
Medium	Stand-up television film music
Genres	Black comedy musical comedy satire
Musical career
Genres	Musical comedy pop rock comedy hip hop
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards guitar
Labels	Comedy Central
YouTube information
Years active	2006–present
Genre	Music comedy
Subscribers	3.79 million
Total views	996 million
Subscriber and view counts updated as of July 5, 2025.

Robert Pickering Burnham (born August 21, 1990) is an American stand-up comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber. Bo Burnham's work mixes filmmaking with music, sketches, and stand-up comedy. His performances often have a dramatic, funny, or thoughtful side that makes people think.

In 2006, Burnham started a YouTube channel. He uploaded videos of himself playing funny songs he wrote. These songs often had clever wordplay and sometimes discussed tricky topics. The videos quickly became very popular, making him one of the first YouTube stars. He then made albums with his songs, like Bo fo Sho (2008) and Bo Burnham (2009).

Burnham later focused on performing stand-up comedy. His shows combined his funny songs with traditional stand-up. He released three comedy specials: Words Words Words (2010), what. (2013), and Make Happy (2016). He also created and starred in the 2013 MTV series Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous. Burnham published a poetry book called Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone (2013). In 2016, he stopped performing live because he was dealing with anxiety and had panic attacks on stage.

After stepping away from live shows, Burnham wrote and directed the movie Eighth Grade (2018). He also directed comedy specials for other comedians. In 2020, he acted in the movie Promising Young Woman. Burnham returned to performing with his fourth comedy special, Inside (2021). He made this special by himself at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix released it, and it received great praise, including a Peabody Award. Inside won three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Three songs from Inside became very popular and were certified platinum in the United States.

Early Life and School

Robert Pickering Burnham was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on August 21, 1990. His mother, Patricia, was a hospice nurse, and his father, Scott, owned a construction company. He has an older sister, Samm, and an older brother, Pete.

Burnham grew up Catholic. He went to St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. His mother worked there as a nurse, so he got to go to school for free. He was a good student and was involved in theater and school religious programs. He finished school in 2008. He was accepted into New York University Tisch School of the Arts to study experimental theater. However, he decided to start his comedy career instead and never attended college.

Bo Burnham's Career Journey

Starting on YouTube (2006–2008)

Burnham at The Improv in September 2008

Bo Burnham began his career on YouTube in 2006. In December 2006, he wanted to share two songs he had written with his older brother, Pete. Pete was away at college in New York City. A friend suggested that Bo film himself performing the songs in his bedroom and put them on YouTube. YouTube was a new website back then. His song "My Whole Family..." quickly became popular after it was shared on Break.com and other websites.

Burnham kept making funny songs and videos, playing guitar or piano. His audience grew quickly. The Boston Globe described his early songs as "intimate in a folksy-creepy sort of way." Burnham wrote songs about many different topics. All his early videos were filmed at his family's home, mostly in his bedroom. They looked like they were made by himself, almost like you were watching him secretly.

Burnham's music and performances talk about things like society, people, and beliefs. He says his stage character is a "more confident stage character" of himself. He signed a four-record deal with Comedy Central Records. Comedy Central Records released his first collection of songs, Bo fo Sho, online on June 17, 2008. His first full album, Bo Burnham, came out on March 10, 2009.

Stand-Up Comedy and Specials (2009–2016)

Burnham performed his music and comedy in the United States and other countries like London and Montreal. In August 2010, he was nominated for "Best Comedy Show" at the 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Awards. He won the "Panel Prize" for being the act that best showed the spirit of the festival.

In 2008, Burnham met director Judd Apatow at a festival. He worked with Universal Pictures to write music for a comedy film. He described it as the "anti-High School Musical." He hoped to star in the movie himself.

Burnham in April 2012

In March 2009, some students at Westminster College had concerns about the language he used in his performances. This led to discussions about comedy and its impact. The college said they booked Burnham without knowing all his material. However, the dean of students, John Comerford, said the discussions were good for the school.

On May 21, 2010, Burnham filmed his first one-hour stand-up special, Words Words Words. It aired on Comedy Central on October 16, 2010. In 2011, Burnham won first place at the Comedy Central Stand-up Showdown.

In 2013, Burnham wrote, produced, and starred in Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous. He also released a poetry book called Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone.

His second special, what., was released on Netflix and YouTube on December 17, 2013. His third special, Make Happy, was released by Netflix on June 3, 2016.

Filmmaking and Eighth Grade (2017–2020)

Burnham at the Montclair Film Festival in 2018.

Burnham wrote and directed his first movie, Eighth Grade. The movie was shown for the first time at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in January 2018. The film was highly praised. It won awards like the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Burnham also directed comedy specials for other comedians. He directed Jerrod Carmichael's special 8 (2017) for HBO and Chris Rock's special Tamborine (2018) for Netflix. He explained that when he directs, he tries to show the audience the same feelings he gets from watching the comedian perform.

In 2020, Burnham played Ryan Cooper in the movie Promising Young Woman. This film was also highly praised. Burnham said he liked working on someone else's idea for this movie. In March 2021, Burnham was cast as Larry Bird in an HBO series, but he later left the show due to other commitments.

Inside and Recent Work (2021–2022)

In April 2021, Burnham announced his fourth special, Inside. It was released on May 30, 2021. Burnham created Inside by himself in his home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The special received widespread praise. It was nominated for six Emmy Awards and won three. Burnham also received two nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. He won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "All Eyes On Me". Three songs from Inside became popular on music charts and were certified platinum in the United States. The album Inside (The Songs) also achieved platinum status.

Burnham directed, edited, and produced Carmichael's comedy special Rothaniel (2022). This special also received awards, including an Emmy for best writing.

On May 30, 2022, one year after Inside was released, Burnham shared 63 minutes of unseen footage from the special on YouTube. He called it The Inside Outtakes. He also released an album with the same name, which included songs from the video and two new ones. He then released Inside (Deluxe), an album with all the songs from Inside and the outtakes, plus instrumental tracks.

Bo Burnham's Style

Bo Burnham's comedy often uses satire. He talks about topics like society, personal struggles, and fairness. He aims to make people think and discuss these subjects. He has mentioned other comedians and artists like Steve Martin and Tom Lehrer as people who influenced his work.

Burnham has said that his older material was sometimes "shock-jock offensive" because he was young and didn't have much experience. He has expressed regret for some of his early work. He worries that young people today don't have the freedom to make mistakes online and learn from them, because everything stays on the internet forever. He hopes his own journey shows that people can grow and change. He talked about this topic in his song "Problematic" from his 2021 special Inside.

Personal Life

Burnham lives in Los Angeles. He is known for being a private person. He usually doesn't give many interviews or post on social media unless he has a new project to share. He has openly talked about dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, especially when performing. He confirmed in Inside that this was why he stopped performing live shows.

Work

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

• Bo Burnham (2009)
• Words, Words, Words (2010)
• what. (2013)
• Inside (The Songs) (2021)

Tours

Bibliography

• Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone (2013)

Awards and Nominations

Bo Burnham has received many awards and nominations for his work.

• In 2010, he was nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award and won two other awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
• For his 2018 film Eighth Grade, he won awards for his writing and directing, including:

* Best New Filmmaker from the Boston Society of Film Critics. * Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film from the Directors Guild of America. * Best First Screenplay from the Independent Spirit Awards. * Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review. * Best First Film from the New York Film Critics Circle. * Best Original Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America Award.

• For his 2021 comedy special Inside, he received several honors, including:

* Three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Music Direction for a Variety Special. * A Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "All Eyes On Me".

• In 2022, he was nominated for an Emmy for directing Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel.
• In 2024, his Inside (Deluxe Box Set) was nominated for a Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.

See also

In Spanish: Bo Burnham para niños