Jim Gaffigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Gaffigan |
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Gaffigan in June 2023
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| Birth name | James Christopher Gaffigan |
| Born | July 7, 1966 Elgin, Illinois, U.S. |
| Medium |
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| Education | Purdue University Georgetown University (BS) |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Genres | |
| Spouse |
Jeannie Noth
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 5 |
| Relative(s) | Richard F. Mitchell (grandfather) |
James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is a well-known American comedian, actor, and writer. He is famous for his stand-up comedy shows. Jim often jokes about being a dad, loving food, and everyday observations.
He has released many popular comedy specials. Some of these include Mr. Universe, Obsessed, Cinco, and Quality Time. These specials have even been nominated for Grammy Awards!
Jim has also written books like Dad Is Fat (2013) and Food: A Love Story (2014). He created and starred in The Jim Gaffigan Show on TV Land. This TV show was based on his own life. Jim often works with his wife, Jeannie Gaffigan, and they have five children together.
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Jim Gaffigan's Early Life
James Christopher Gaffigan was born in Elgin, Illinois, on July 7, 1966. He was the youngest of six children. His mother, Marcia, worked for charities. His father, Michael, was a banker. Jim's family has Irish roots.
He grew up in Chesterton, Indiana. Jim often jokes about what it was like to grow up in a big family. His mother was very good at needlework. She even won a national award for her designs in 1985. Sadly, she passed away from cancer in 1990.
Jim's father was a bank president for 15 years. He was also very active in local charity work. He passed away in 1999. Jim's father was the first in his family to go to college. He wanted his children to choose careers that were safe and secure. However, Jim knew from a young age that he wanted to be an actor.
As a teenager, Jim loved watching Saturday Night Live. He went to La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. There, he played on the school's football team. He first attended Purdue University for a year. Then, he transferred to Georgetown University. He graduated in 1988 with a degree in finance. He played football at both Georgetown and Purdue. Jim didn't enjoy studying finance. He worked as a consultant for a short time after college, but he was not good at it.
Jim Gaffigan's Career
Becoming a Stand-Up Comedian
In 1990, Jim moved to New York to start his comedy career. He was inspired by David Letterman, who was also from Indiana. Jim worked in advertising during the day. At night, he took acting classes. He even appeared in commercials for Blockbuster Video.
His comedy journey truly began when a friend dared him to take a stand-up comedy class. The class ended with a live performance. Jim loved stand-up comedy right away. He started performing in comedy clubs every night. He would often stay out until the early morning hours. Sometimes, he even fell asleep at his day job! Eventually, his boss had to wake him up to fire him.
For the first seven years, Jim tried different comedy styles. He tried angry comedy, impressions, and different voices. Live comedy was not as popular then as it was in the 1980s. After trying out for The Late Show with David Letterman for six years, Jim finally performed a successful routine on the show in 1999. This helped his career take off.
Jim's comedy style is mostly about observing everyday life. He often talks about being lazy, eating, and being a parent. His famous "Hot Pocket" joke came from a commercial he saw. He thought it was a Saturday Night Live sketch. Jim often uses a funny, high-pitched voice in his shows. This voice sounds like someone giving negative comments about his own jokes. He says this "inside voice" helps him connect with the audience.
He explained that he started using this voice as a teenager. It helped him make people laugh. He also used it to deal with hecklers when he was starting out.
In 2004, Jim's comedy was shown in a Comedy Central animated series. In 2005, he filmed a live special called Beyond the Pale. This show was mostly about food and American eating habits. He even joked about a "glazed donut breakfast sandwich," which later became a real item at Dunkin' Donuts! His 2009 album, King Baby, was also a TV special. In 2013, the Wall Street Journal called him the "King of Clean" because his comedy is family-friendly.
On February 25, 2012, Jim recorded his special Mr. Universe. It was nominated for a Grammy. He made it available online for $5. A part of the money went to a charity for military veterans. In 2012, he was one of the top-earning comedians in the U.S.
Jim filmed his 2014 special, Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed, in Boston. It became the most-watched stand-up special that year on Comedy Central. The album Obsessed reached number 1 on the Billboard Comedy Album charts. In 2015, he performed a big show at Madison Square Garden.
Jim also performs comedy for good causes. He has supported military events and charities. In 2013, he performed at the Stand Up for Heroes event. In 2015, he performed at a Catholic event in Philadelphia that Pope Francis attended. Over a million people were there!
By 2016, Jim was the most popular comedian on Pandora.com. He had over 647 million plays. In 2016, he started his Fully Dressed Tour in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. He has also performed many times at the "Just for Laughs" comedy festival in Montreal.
Who Inspired Jim Gaffigan?
Jim says that David Letterman and Bill Murray influenced his comedy. He also believes Richard Pryor was the greatest stand-up comedian ever. His comedy mentor was Dave Attell. Jim said Dave was the only person who thought he was funny when he was starting out.
On the show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jim told host Jerry Seinfeld that Jerry was a big influence on him.
Acting Roles
When Jim's comedy career was slow in the 1990s, a friend suggested he try out for commercials. This turned out to be a good idea! He appeared in over 200 TV commercials. These included ads for Rolling Rock, Saturn, Chrysler, and ESPN. Because he was everywhere, BusinessWeek called him 'Salesman of the Year' in 1999.
After his first appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1999, David Letterman asked Jim to help create a TV show. It was called Welcome to New York. Jim also starred in it with Christine Baranski. The show was canceled after one season.
Jim was also a cast member on The Ellen Show with Ellen DeGeneres. He appeared in movies like Super Troopers and 30 Years to Life. He was also a regular on the TV show My Boys.
In 2008, he was in the movie The Love Guru with Mike Myers. In 2009, he appeared in an episode of Flight of the Conchords. He was also in the movies Away We Go and 17 Again. Jim has appeared in episodes of Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
He also appeared on The Daily Show in a funny skit. He pretended to be a correspondent who knew nothing about the show.
Jim performed on Broadway in a play called That Championship Season in 2011. He acted alongside stars like Kiefer Sutherland. Critics praised his performance. Jim called being on Broadway "an amazing experience."
In the 2010s, Jim, his wife, and Peter Tolan started working on a TV show. It was loosely based on their own lives. CBS decided not to pick up the show. But then, TV Land offered the Gaffigans full creative control. This led to The Jim Gaffigan Show. It was a sitcom about a family raising five kids in a small New York City apartment. The show aired in 2015. Jim played a fictional version of himself. His wife, Jeannie, was played by Ashley Williams. After two seasons, Jim and Jeannie decided to end the show in 2016. They wanted to spend more time with their children.
Jim also acted in the movie Experimenter. In 2016, he started appearing in KFC commercials as Colonel Sanders. Since 2016, he has also appeared in commercials for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica with his family.
In 2018, he played Paul F. Markham in the movie Chappaquiddick. He also had the main role in the 2018 film American Dreamer. Critics really liked his serious performance in that movie. Jim played George Westinghouse in the 2020 film Tesla.
Jim has also done voice work for animated shows. He voiced Lorenzo Paguro in the Pixar film Luca in 2021. In 2023, he played Mr. Smee in Disney's Peter Pan & Wendy. In 2024, Jim started playing Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live. His portrayal was widely praised.
Voice Acting and Animation
Jim is also known for his voice-over work. He voiced an animated version of himself in Pale Force with Conan O'Brien. This show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2007. He has also voiced characters in animated shows like Bob's Burgers, WordGirl, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. He also voiced a character in the animated movie Duck Duck Goose.
Writing Books and More
Jim produced animated shorts for Late Night with Conan O'Brien called Pale Force. These sketches showed Jim and Conan O'Brien as superheroes with very pale skin.
Jim is also very popular on Twitter. He has over two and a half million followers. Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the "25 funniest people on Twitter" in 2012.
In 2013, Jim released his book Dad Is Fat. The title came from the first full sentence his oldest son wrote. The book is a collection of funny stories about raising his children. It also includes memories from his own childhood. The book became a The New York Times Best Seller.
Jim signed a deal to write a second book of funny essays. This book, Food: A Love Story, came out in 2014. Publishers Weekly said the book "packs plenty of laughs."
Before meeting his wife, Jeannie Noth, Jim mostly wrote his comedy alone. But when he was working on his first TV show, he asked her for help. As their relationship grew, Jeannie started writing more for him. After they got married, she became Jim's main co-writer. They are now full writing partners. She has been a credited writer or producer on all his comedy projects since Beyond the Pale. This includes his books and TV show.
Media Appearances
Jim has been a guest on the NPR radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He is also a regular commentator on CBS Sunday Morning. He won a Daytime Emmy in 2016 for his work on that show.
Jim Gaffigan's Family Life
Jim Gaffigan married actress Jeannie Gaffigan in 2003. They have five children: two daughters and three sons. Their children are Marre (born 2004), Jack (born 2005), Katie Louise (born 2009), Michael (born 2011), and Patrick (born 2012).
For a long time, their family of seven lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, New York City. They moved to a bigger home in Manhattan in 2015.
Jim tries to keep up with bedtime routines when he is working in the city. When he goes on tour, he often takes his family with him. His son Jack has even opened for his father's shows sometimes!
Jim is a practicing Catholic. He tries not to work on Sundays. He and his family attend Mass at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Manhattan. This is also where he and his wife were married. In 2016, he and his wife gave the commencement speech at the Catholic University of America. They also spoke at his wife's college, Marquette University, in 2018. They both received honorary degrees there.
Jim Gaffigan's Awards
On April 26, 2014, Jim Gaffigan won the Concert Comedian award at the American Comedy Awards.
In 2007, his animated series Pale Force was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Jim was the executive producer, writer, and lead actor for the show.
In 2016, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Morning Program. He received this award for his contributions as a commentator on CBS Sunday Morning.
Grammy Award Nominations
Jim Gaffigan has been nominated for a Grammy Award eight times for Best Comedy Album.
- 2013: Mr. Universe (Nominated)
- 2015: Obsessed (Nominated)
- 2018: Cinco (Nominated)
- 2019: Noble Ape (Nominated)
- 2020: Quality Time (Nominated)
- 2021: The Pale Tourist (Nominated)
- 2023: Comedy Monster (Nominated)
- 2025: The Prisoner (Pending)
Images for kids
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Jim Gaffigan in June 2023
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Jim Gaffigan performing in May 2008
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Jim Gaffigan in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Jim Gaffigan para niños
