Joel McHale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joel McHale
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McHale at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023
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| Born |
Joel Edward McHale
November 20, 1971 Rome, Italy
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| Nationality |
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| Education | University of Washington (BA, MFA) |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Williams
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is well-known for hosting The Soup (2004–2015). He also played Jeffrey "Jeff" Winger on the NBC TV show Community (2009–2015). Joel McHale has appeared in movies like Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Ted (2012).
He also starred in the sitcom The Great Indoors (2016–2017). He hosted a new version of Card Sharks (2019–2021). Joel played the superhero Starman on the show Stargirl (2020–2022). In 2020, he hosted a special show about the Netflix series Tiger King. He also voices Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat Legends animated movies. He voices X-PO in Lego Dimensions and The Scientist in Fortnite. Currently, he stars in the Fox comedy Animal Control. He also has a role in the show The Bear.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joel McHale was born in Rome, Italy, on November 20, 1971. His father is American and his mother is Canadian. Joel grew up in Mercer Island, Washington. He also lived briefly in Haddonfield, New Jersey. He went to Mercer Island High School.
He earned a history degree from the University of Washington in 1995. He also got a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in acting from the same university. While in college, he was part of the rowing and football teams. He also performed in an improv comedy group called Unexpected Productions.
Career Highlights
Hosting Many Shows
In 2004, Joel McHale started hosting The Soup on the E! network. On this show, he would make fun of funny or strange moments from TV shows each week. He was a popular host for many years.
Joel has hosted several big events. He hosted the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. He also hosted the 2015 ESPY Awards and the 43rd People's Choice Awards in 2017. He even hosted the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in 2014.
In 2018, he had his own talk show on Netflix called The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. It featured celebrity guests and funny video clips. From 2019 to 2021, he hosted a new version of the game show Card Sharks for ABC.
Since 2020, Joel has co-hosted a podcast called The Darkest Timeline with his Community co-star Ken Jeong. In 2021, Joel began hosting Crime Scene Kitchen on Fox. In 2023, he hosted the reality competition show House of Villains on E!.
Acting Roles
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After finishing his acting degree, Joel McHale moved to Los Angeles. He got small roles in TV shows like CSI: Miami and Will & Grace. He also had a small part in the movie Spider-Man 2 as a bank manager.
Joel became very famous for his role as Jeff Winger in the TV comedy Community. This show started in 2009 and ran for six seasons. He played a lawyer who had to go back to community college.
He has appeared in several movies, including Ted (2012) and The Happytime Murders (2018). From 2016 to 2017, he starred in the CBS sitcom The Great Indoors.
In 2018, Joel joined the Netflix show Santa Clarita Diet. He also played the superhero Starman in the DC Universe and The CW series Stargirl. He was a main character in the third season.
Joel is also a regular guest on The Masked Singer. He helps the judges guess which celebrity is singing in a costume. He has also done voice work for video games like Lego Dimensions and Fortnite.
Personal Life
Joel McHale married Sarah Williams in July 1996. They have two sons together. The family lives in Studio City, Los Angeles. Joel has shared that he is dyslexic, which means he learns differently. He found this out when his sons were diagnosed.
He attends a Presbyterian church. Joel has also shown support for fairness and equality for all people. In 2020, he joined some of his Community co-stars in a video to support Joe Biden.
Helping Others
Joel McHale supports many charities and foundations. In 2021, he supported the Children's Tumor Foundation. This group helps raise awareness and find treatments for Neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves.
He has also supported organizations like DoSomething.org, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He helps groups like the Motion Picture & Television Fund and UNICEF.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Mr. Jacks | ||
| Wait | N/A | Short film | ||
| 2005 | Lords of Dogtown | Reporter | ||
| Game Time | Johnson | Short film | ||
| 2006 | Mini's First Time | Host | ||
| 2008 | The Onion Movie | Office Worker | Uncredited | |
| Open Season 2 | Elliot | Voice | ||
| 2009 | The Informant! | FBI Agent Robert Herndon | ||
| 2011 | Spy Kids: All the Time in the World | Wilbur Wilson | ||
| What's Your Number? | Roger | |||
| Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope | Himself | Documentary | ||
| The Big Year | Barry Loomis | |||
| 2012 | Ted | Rex | ||
| 2014 | Blended | Mark Reynolds | ||
| Deliver Us from Evil | Butler | |||
| Adult Beginners | Hudson | |||
| A Merry Friggin' Christmas | Boyd Mitchler | |||
| 2018 | Assassination Nation | Nick Mathers | ||
| A Futile and Stupid Gesture | Chevy Chase | |||
| Game Over, Man! | Himself | Cameo | ||
| The Happytime Murders | Agent Campbell | |||
| 2019 | Trouble | Norbert | Voice | |
| 2020 | Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge | Johnny Cage | Voice, direct-to-video | |
| Becky | Jeff Hooper | |||
| 2021 | Happily | Tom | ||
| Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms | Johnny Cage | Voice, direct-to-video | ||
| Queenpins | Rick Kaminski | |||
| 2022 | The Seven Faces of Jane | Michael | ||
| 2023 | Parachute | Jamie | ||
| Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match | Johnny Cage | Voice, direct-to-video | ||
| It's a Wonderful Knife | David Carruthers | |||
| 2026 | Scream 7  |
Mark Evans | ||
| TBA | California King |
Filming |
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Almost Live! | Various | Unknown episodes |
| 1998 | Bill Nye the Science Guy | Defendant | Episode: "Fluids" |
| 2000 | The Huntress | Quicky the Clown | Episode: "Springing Tiny" |
| The Fugitive | Curtis | Episode: "Far from Home" | |
| Diagnosis: Murder | Richard | Episode: "By Reason of Insanity" | |
| 2001; 2020 | Will & Grace | Ian | Episode: "Cheaters" |
| Phil | Episodes: "Filthy Phil, Part I" and "Filthy Phil, Part II" | ||
| 2004–2015 | The Soup | Himself (host) | 618 episodes; also writer and executive producer |
| 2005 | CSI: Miami | Greg Welch | Episode: "Urban Hellraisers" |
| 2007 | The IT Crowd | Roy | US pilot; never aired |
| Thank God You're Here | Himself | 1 episode | |
| Pushing Daisies | Harold Hundin | Episode: "..." | |
| 2007; 2009 | Robot Chicken | Various Voices | 2 episodes |
| 2009–2015 | Community | Jeff Winger | Main cast: 110 episodes |
| 2011 | 26th Independent Spirit Awards | Himself (host) | Television special |
| Phineas and Ferb | Norm Head Prototype | Voice, episode: "Candace Disconnected" | |
| 2012 | Sons of Anarchy | Warren | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Conan | Conan O'Brien | Episode: "Occupy Conan: When Outsourcing Goes Too Far" |
| 2013–2015 | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | First Ninja | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 2013 | 2013 VGX Awards | Himself (host) | Television special |
| 2014 | Video Game High School | The President of the United States | Episode: "OMGWTFPS!?" |
| White House Correspondents' Dinner | Himself (host) | Television special | |
| 2015 | Regular Show | DVD | Voice, episode: "Format Wars II" |
| 2015 ESPY Awards | Himself (host) | Television special | |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Joel McHale Wears a Navy Zip-up and High Tops" | |
| BoJack Horseman | Alex | Voice, episode: "Yesterdayland" | |
| 2016–2018 | The X-Files | Tad O'Malley | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Dr. Ken | Ross | Episode: "Dave's Valentine" |
| Difficult People | Felix | Episode: "Hashtag Cats" | |
| Lip Sync Battle | Himself | Episode: "Jim Rash vs. Joel McHale" | |
| 2016–2017 | The Great Indoors | Jack Gordon | 22 episodes |
| 2017 | Dimension 404 | Dr. Matthew Maker | Episode: "Matchmaker" |
| Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Doug McClure | Episode: "At the Earth's Core" | |
| Rick and Morty | Death Stalker Hemorrhage | Voice, episode: "Rickmancing the Stone" | |
| 2017–2018 | Milo Murphy's Law | Victor Verliezer | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2017, 2019 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale | Himself (host) | 19 episodes; also writer and executive producer |
| 2018–2019 | Santa Clarita Diet | Chris | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | ... History | George Corwin, Robert Ellis Cahill | Episode: "Halloween" |
| 2019 | Joel McHale: Live from Pyongyang | Himself | Comedy special |
| 2019–2022 | The Masked Singer | Himself | 10 episodes |
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself (guest judge) | Episode: "Trump: The Rusical" |
| The Rookie | Brad Hayes | Episode: "The Shake Up" | |
| 2019–2021 | Card Sharks | Himself (host) | 21 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2019 | Mr. Iglesias | Danny | Episode: "Oh Boy, Danny" |
| What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage | Himself | Episode: "Preetempted" | |
| 2020 | Medical Police | Himself | Episode: "Deuce to Nines, Double Draw" |
| Black-ish | Himself | Episode: "You Don't Know Jack" | |
| Dummy | Jason Levy | Episode: "Ideal Woman" | |
| 2020–2022 | Stargirl | Sylvester Pemberton / Starman, Ultra-Humanite | Recurring role (Season 1–2); main role (Season 3) |
| 2020 | Tiger King | Himself (host) | Episode: "The Tiger King and I" |
| The Twilight Zone | Orson Rudd | Episode: "8" | |
| Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | Lassiter's Father | Television film | |
| Game On! | Himself (contestant) | Episode: "Celebrity Guests: Becky Lynch and Joel McHale" | |
| Match Game | Himself (contestant) | 2 episodes | |
| The Cabin with Bert Kreischer | Himself | Episode: "Fresh Perspectives" | |
| Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Himself (contestant) | Episode: "Paul Reubens, Nicole Byer and Joel McHale" | |
| New Year's Eve Toast & Roast 2021 | Himself (co-host) | Television special; with Ken Jeong | |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Himself (contestant) | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | American Housewife | Doyle Bradford | Episode: "The Election" |
| Nickelodeon's Unfiltered | Himself | Episode: "Why Did the Bear Cross the Road?" | |
| 2021–present | Crime Scene Kitchen | Himself (host) | 16 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2022–2024 | The Bear | Chef David | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Love, Death & Robots | Sergeant Morris | Voice, episode: "Kill Team Kill" |
| Celebrity Beef | Himself (host) | 7 episodes | |
| 2023–present | Animal Control | Frank | Main role; also executive producer |
| House of Villains | Himself (host) | ||
| 2023 | That's My Jam | Himself/Guest | Along with Keke Palmer, Saweetie, will.i.am |
| Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge | Himself / Judge | Episode: "Need for Speed vs. Fight Car" | |
| Is It Cake? | Himself / Judge | Episode: "Body By Cake" | |
| Krapopolis | Sportscaster #1 | Voice, episode: "The Stuperbowl" | |
| The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday | Himself (contestant) | The Roku Channel | |
| 2024 | We Are Family | Himself (celebrity relative) (Episode 1) Guest host (Episodes 9–10) |
3 episodes |
| Dinner Time Live with David Chang | Himself/Guest | Episode: "Choose Your Own Adventure Menu" | |
| The Simpsons | Himself | Episode: "Bart's Birthday" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Lego Dimensions | X-PO, Himself | |
| 2021–present | Fortnite: Battle Royale | The Scientist | Uncredited |
| 2022 | Area Man Lives | John Kunveni |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | EWwy Award | Best Actor in a Comedy | Community | Nominated |
| 2011 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| EWwy Award | Best Actor in a Comedy | Won | ||
| Satellite Award | Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | TV Guide Award | Favorite Ensemble | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| PAAFTJ Television Award | Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Best Cast in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
| EWwy Award | Best Actor, Comedy | Won | ||
| Satellite Award | Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program | The Soup | Nominated |
| 2019 | Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Supporting Actor | The Happytime Murders | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Joel McHale para niños
