Jon Ronson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Ronson
Ronson in 2016
Born	(1967-05-10) 10 May 1967 (age 58) Cardiff, Wales
Occupation	Journalist author filmmaker
Alma mater	Polytechnic of Central London
Genre	Conspiracy theories investigative journalism gonzo journalism
Spouse	Elaine Patterson
Children	1

Jon Ronson (born 10 May 1967) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker. He is known for his interesting and often funny books and documentaries. He explores unusual topics and meets people with unique beliefs.

Some of his most famous works include Them: Adventures with Extremists (2001), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004), and The Psychopath Test (2011). He often becomes a character in his own stories, making his investigations both informal and thought-provoking. His work has appeared in newspapers like The Guardian and he has made many films for the BBC Television and Channel 4.

Early Life

Jon Ronson was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 10 May 1967. He went to Cardiff High School. Before moving to London, he worked for CBC Radio in Cardiff. In London, he studied media at the Polytechnic of Central London.

Career

Writing Adventures

Ronson in January 2007

Jon Ronson first became well-known for writing a column in Time Out magazine. In this column, he would set himself different challenges. He later turned these challenges into a TV show called The Ronson Mission for BBC2 in 1993.

His first book, Clubbed Class (1994), is a travel story. In it, he pretends to be part of a fancy, rich lifestyle to find the best holiday spots in the world.

His second book, Them: Adventures with Extremists (2001), tells about his experiences meeting people who are sometimes called "extremists." He also followed people who investigate secret groups, like the Bilderberg Group. The book explores Ronson's attempts to understand these groups and the "shadowy cabal" that some people believe secretly rules the world. A magazine called Publishers Weekly said the book was "enjoyable" and "remarkable." There were even plans to make Them into a movie.

In 2004, Ronson wrote a personal story called "A Fantastic Life" for a book called Truth or Dare.

Ronson's third book, The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004), is about a secret unit in the United States Army. This unit explored unusual ideas, like believing people could walk through walls or kill goats just by staring at them. The book suggests these strange military ideas might have influenced how people were questioned at Guantanamo Bay. A movie with the same name was made in 2009. In the film, Jon Ronson's investigations were made into a fictional story, and he was played by actor Ewan McGregor.

His books Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness (2006) and What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness (2007) are collections of his articles. They mostly focus on his daily life and funny, strange events.

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry (2011) is Ronson's fifth book. In this book, he looks into what makes people behave in a psychopathic way. He learns how to use a special checklist to identify psychopathic traits. He interviews people in different places, including some who might be psychopaths in the business world.

Ronson's sixth book, Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries (2012), is another collection of his articles that had been published before.

His book So You've Been Publicly Shamed (2015) talks about what happens when people are publicly shamed online in the internet age. This book explores the effects of online humiliation.

Radio Work

Jon Ronson has a popular BBC Radio 4 show called Jon Ronson on.... This program has been nominated for a Sony award four times. In 2008, he made a documentary about pop star Robbie Williams' interest in UFOs and the paranormal.

He also contributes to a show in the United States called This American Life. He has shared many interesting stories and segments on this program.

More recently, Ronson has hosted and written several podcasts. These include The Butterfly Effect (2017) and The Last Days of August (2019). In 2021, he returned to the BBC with Things Fell Apart, a podcast about the culture wars.

Television and Films

Ronson hosted a talk show in the late 1990s called For the Love of.... On this show, he would interview guests and experts about different strange events and conspiracy theories. He has also appeared as a guest on other TV shows.

Jon Ronson sold the film rights for his book The Men Who Stare at Goats. The movie of the same name came out in 2009. It was a comedy war film. While visiting the movie set, Ronson started working on a screenplay with Peter Straughan. This led to the movie Frank (2014), a black comedy inspired by Ronson's time playing keyboards in a band called Frank Sidebottom.

He also helped write the screenplay for the 2017 Netflix movie Okja with director Bong Joon-ho.

Personal Life

Jon Ronson is married to Elaine Patterson, and they have one son.

He is Jewish and supports Humanists UK, a group that promotes humanism. He is a big fan of the football team Arsenal FC. In 2020, Jon Ronson became a naturalized American citizen.

Works

Books

Filmography

• The Ronson Mission (1993), BBC 2
• New York to California: A Great British Odyssey (1996), Channel 4
• Hotel Auschwitz (1996), BBC Radio 4
• Tottenham Ayatollah (1997), Channel 4
• Critical Condition (1997), Channel 4
• Dr Paisley, I Presume (1998), Channel 4
• New Klan (1999) Channel 4
• The Secret Rulers of the World (2001), Channel 4
• The Double Life of Jonathan King (2002), Channel 4
• Kidneys for Jesus (2003) Channel 4
• I Am, Unfortunately, Randy Newman (2004) Channel 4
• Crazy Rulers of the World (2004), Channel 4
  • Part 1: "The Men Who Stare at Goats"
  • Part 2: "Funny Torture"
  • Part 3: "The Psychic Footsoldiers"
• Death in Santaland (2007), More 4
• Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (2008)
• Revelations (2009)
• Escape and Control (2011)
• Frank (2014)
• Okja (2017)
• Comrade Detective (2017) as Himself

Theatre

• Life and Trust (2024)

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