Josh Robert Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josh Robert Thompson
Thompson in 2021
Born	(1975-03-11) March 11, 1975 (age 50)
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	2000–present
Known for	The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson The Howard Stern Show

Josh Robert Thompson (born March 11, 1975) is an American actor and comedian. He is famous for his work on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, where he was the voice of the robot skeleton, Geoff Peterson. Geoff was Craig Ferguson's funny sidekick. Josh also did many other characters and impressions on the show. You might also know him from his celebrity impressions on Family Guy and The Howard Stern Show.

Josh Thompson is amazing at doing voice impressions of famous people like Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Donald Trump. On The Kelly Clarkson Show, he uses his Morgan Freeman voice to be the game announcer, "God." He also performs as a stand-up comedian and has toured with Craig Ferguson. Josh has also acted in movies like the romantic comedy Nowhere Girl (2014).

Josh Robert Thompson's Early Life

Josh Thompson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He learned a lot by watching classic TV shows. He loved seeing how actors could become different characters. This inspired him to try mimicking them himself.

When he was eight, his grandmother gave him a Fisher-Price tape recorder. He used it to make his own radio-style shows, doing all the voices for the host and the guests! The next year, he performed on stage in Peter Pan at the Cleveland Play House.

During high school, Josh had a small part in a play called Oklahoma!. He said one line and everyone laughed and clapped. Someone backstage told him, "They're clapping for you. They love you." After that, he was hooked on performing. Josh and his friends started making their own short films and TV-style shows with a video camera. He finished high school in 1993.

A few years later, Josh moved to Los Angeles. He performed on local TV and did stand-up comedy. At the same time, he studied TV, Radio, and Film Production at California State University, Fullerton. He uses his middle name professionally because another "Josh Thompson" was already a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Josh Robert Thompson's Career Journey

How He Started in Radio

Josh Thompson's impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger first became famous during the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election. He pretended to be Schwarzenegger and called into a TV show called Fox & Friends. He fooled the hosts into thinking he was the real Schwarzenegger for a little while!

This prank caught the attention of The Howard Stern Show. Josh's impression, which they called "Fake Arnold," soon became a regular part of the show. Around the same time, Josh also appeared on other radio shows in Los Angeles and Australia. He voiced many characters, including Fake Arnold, Robert De Niro, and Michael Jackson.

Fun Pranks on The Howard Stern Show

In 2005, Josh's "Fake Arnold" character made up a plan to "blow up the moon." This silly idea actually tricked a TV host named Joe Scarborough. He talked about the fake plan on his show, criticizing the Governor. Ten days later, when he found out it was a joke, Scarborough apologized on TV.

In 2006, Josh tricked Star Trek actor George Takei. Takei thought he was talking to Governor Schwarzenegger on the phone. After a few minutes, they told Takei it was a joke. This prank was later named one of the best moments from the show that year.

Josh has appeared on The Howard Stern Show many times without being officially credited. He often does his "Fake Arnold" voice.

His Work on TV Shows

Being a Robot on The Late Late Show

In 2007, Josh Thompson first appeared on TV as Governor Schwarzenegger on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. He became a regular on the show, playing characters like Robert De Niro and even voicing Morgan Freeman.

Starting in 2010, Josh became the voice of Geoff Peterson, Craig Ferguson's robot skeleton sidekick. At first, he used pre-recorded clips for Geoff's voice. Josh even shared his "recipe" for Geoff's voice: "1 part Snagglepuss. 1 part Vincent Price. 2 parts George Takei."

In 2011, Josh started performing Geoff's voice live for almost every episode. He would do it in the studio and even when the show traveled to places like Paris, France. When Josh voiced Geoff live, he added many of his own impressions to the robot's voice. He even did his Morgan Freeman impression for the real Morgan Freeman when he was a guest on the show! Freeman gave the impression a thumbs-up and called it "outstanding."

In 2014, Josh also took over voicing Sandra Peterson. This was a remote-controlled rhinoceros head that hung over the fireplace on the show.

Craig Ferguson said in 2014 that he and Josh would keep working together after The Late Late Show ended. Ferguson called Josh a "comedic genius." After the show ended in 2014, Josh returned in 2015 to do his first TV stand-up comedy performance.

Creating His Own TV Show

In 2015, Josh used a website called Indiegogo to ask his fans for money to help finish his own TV show's first episode. In just three days, his fans helped him raise over $51,000! This was much more than his goal of $25,000.

The audio for the show was mixed at Skywalker Ranch. Ben Burtt, a famous sound designer, watched some of the process. He thought Josh's sketch of George Lucas was very funny. Ben Burtt even said that George Lucas himself would love Josh's show and characters. In 2018, Josh shared his pilot episode on social media to get more people to see it.

Lending His Voice to Characters

Since 2011, Josh has voiced many characters on popular animated shows like Family Guy, American Dad!, and Skylanders Academy. He also appeared on The Cleveland Show and has been the announcer for the Writers Guild of America Awards since 2017.

Since 2019, Josh has been the voice of "God" on The Kelly Clarkson Show. He uses his amazing Morgan Freeman impression for this role during the show's game segments.

Other TV and Film Projects

Josh started working on his first TV series while he was still on The Late Late Show. It was called WJRT Television and was a funny parody of a TV news show. Even though some episodes were put online, the series was not sold to a TV network.

In 2014, Josh announced plans for a new variety show called The Josh Robert Thompson Show. The first episode was finished in 2015 with the help of his fans.

His Podcast Adventures

Josh has also been part of many podcasts. In 2016, his own podcast, Joshin' Around, became available on iTunes. In this podcast, Josh does all the voices and makes up all the material by himself!

Movies He's Been In

Josh Thompson has been the narrator in movies like Yogi Bear (2010) and Scary Movie 5 (2013). He also acted on camera as the main character in Nowhere Girl (2014) and had a supporting role as a priest in Revelator (2017). He voiced two characters in The Angry Birds Movie (2016) and a Construction Foreman in The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017).

More Fun Projects

In 2010, Josh appeared in commercials for More Than insurance. He did his Morgan Freeman impression, and his character was even named More Than Freeman!

Online Web Series

In 2018, Josh starred in a new web series called "F#cking 40." It was a series about the Middle Ages. This series won "Best Web Series" at the FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia. In 2025, Josh was a guest on Red Letter Media’s "Wheel of the Worst" series.

Characters He Created

Josh Thompson has also created his own unique characters. These include a TV preacher named the Rev. Apostle BG, a gay cabaret singer named Robin Sooper, a character called Gary the Ogre, and Snorky Lopez, a Mexican raccoon.

Where You've Seen or Heard Him

Television

Film

Video games

Music

• Austrian Death Machine - Arnold Schwarzenegger (voice) on 2009 album Double Brutal

Web

• Movie Fights - Himself (Episode 108 - What Iconic Horror Villains Should Face Off in Their Own Movie?)
• Best of the Worst - Himself (Wheel of the Worst #29)

Images for kids

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  Thompson in 2021