Joel McHale
Born 1971 · Age 54
American actor, comedian, writer, producer and television host best known for hosting The Soup and starring as Jeff Winger on Community; prolific film, TV and voice actor.
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Life & Career Timeline
Heritage and religion noted
Of Irish and Norwegian descent; raised Catholic (later attends a Presbyterian church as adult).
Family background (parents' origins)
Father from Chicago (American), mother from Vancouver (Canadian).
Grew up on Mercer Island, Washington
Raised primarily on Mercer Island; family briefly lived in Haddonfield, New Jersey for two years before returning.
Born in Rome, Italy
Joel Edward McHale born to Jack McHale (American) and Laurie (Canadian) while father worked as dean of students at Loyola University's Rome Center.
Graduated Mercer Island High School (approx.)
Attended and graduated from Mercer Island High School (year approximate based on birth year).
Enrolled at University of Washington
Began undergraduate studies at UW as history major; joined extracurriculars and was briefly in Theta Chi fraternity.
Joined Unexpected Productions improv troupe
From 1993–1997, member of improv group at Unexpected Productions, performing in Theatersports! at Seattle's Market Theater.
Member of UW football team; Rose Bowl squad
Walk-on tight end on University of Washington football team; part of team that played in the 1993 Rose Bowl.
Cast member on Almost Live! (Seattle sketch show)
Performed on KING-TV's Almost Live!, a Seattle local sketch-comedy program (date range includes mid-1990s).
Graduated University of Washington (BA in History)
Received bachelor's degree in history from the University of Washington.
First TV appearances (early credits)
Landed small TV roles in series including Diagnosis: Murder, Will & Grace and others as he established his career in LA.
Married Sarah Williams
Joel McHale married Sarah Williams (wedding July 1996); the couple later had two sons.
Completed MFA, Professional Actors Training Program at UW
Received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington's Professional Actors Training Program (date after BA; exact year mid-late '90s).
Moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting
Relocated to LA after completing MFA and began seeking television and film roles.
Active years stated
Professional career noted as active from 1996–present (commonly cited 'Years active: 1996–present').
Guest role on Diagnosis: Murder
Appeared in episode 'By Reason of Insanity' (television credit).
Guest role on Will & Grace (first appearance)
Appeared in episode 'Cheaters' (early guest spot).
Longtime radio and podcast guest appearances begin
Regular and recurring guest on The Adam Carolla Show, Opie & Anthony and other radio programs during 2000s–2010s.
Film role: Spider-Man 2
Appeared in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 as Mr. Jacks (small role).
Began hosting The Soup (E!)
Became host, writer and executive producer of The Soup, a weekly satirical TV show chronicling TV/pop culture oddities; ran 2004–2015.
Film: Lords of Dogtown (reporter role)
Appeared as a TV reporter in the biopic Lords of Dogtown.
Film: Mini's First Time (host role)
Appeared as host in the film (supporting/credited film work continued).
Film: The Onion Movie / Open Season 2 (voice/uncredited)
Continued film roles including The Onion Movie (2008) and voice role in Open Season 2.
Film: The Informant!
Appeared as FBI Agent Robert Herndon in Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (2009).
Cast as Jeff Winger on Community (NBC)
Became lead actor on NBC sitcom Community which premiered in fall 2009; ran 2009–2015 (110 episodes).
Salary on Community reported
Reported salary of approximately $50,000 per episode for Community (2009-2010 season figure from IMDb).
EWwy Award nominations and wins era
Between 2010–2012 McHale received multiple EWwy awards and other nominations/wins for Community and acting.
Hosted Ubisoft E3 press conference
Hosted video game developer/publisher Ubisoft's press conference at E3 (reported in E3 coverage around 2009–2010).
Film cluster year (What's Your Number?, The Big Year)
Appeared in multiple 2011 films including What's Your Number? and The Big Year, expanding film portfolio.
Hosted 26th Independent Spirit Awards
Served as host of the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards (television special hosting role).
Film: Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
Appeared as Wilbur Wilson in Spy Kids 4 (2011).
Film: Ted (role as Rex)
Appeared in Seth MacFarlane's Ted as Rex (supporting role in a major comedy).
Guest stint on Sons of Anarchy
Appeared in a short guest role on FX drama Sons of Anarchy (2012).
Primetime Emmy nomination for The Soup (short format)
The Soup received a 2014 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program (Joel as host/executive producer).
Film roles: Deliver Us from Evil & Blended
Appeared in Deliver Us from Evil (police role) and Blended (2014) continuing film career.
Hosted White House Correspondents' Dinner
Served as host of the 2014 White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in Washington, D.C.
Hosted 2015 ESPY Awards
Served as host of the 2015 ESPY Awards on ABC.
Voice role: Lego Dimensions (X-PO)
Voiced X-PO and himself in the video game Lego Dimensions (2015–2017 appearances).
Ended hosting The Soup (show concluded)
The Soup ended in 2015 after an 11-year run with McHale as host, writer and executive producer (2004–2015).
Starred in CBS sitcom The Great Indoors
Cast as lead (Jack Gordon) in The Great Indoors; show premiered fall 2016.
Appeared in The X-Files revival
Appeared as Tad O'Malley in The X-Files revival across episodes in 2016 and 2018 (4 episodes total).
Donated proceeds from North Carolina show to Durham LGBT Center
During a Durham performance protested North Carolina "bathroom law" and donated proceeds to the LGBTQ Center of Durham.
Sold Los Feliz home
Sold his Los Feliz house for over asking price (reported in Los Angeles Times, Sept 28, 2016).
Hosted 43rd People's Choice Awards & 2017 Webby Awards
Hosted People's Choice Awards (Jan 18, 2017) and the Webby Awards (May 15, 2017).
The Great Indoors canceled by CBS
CBS canceled The Great Indoors due to low ratings after one season.
Cast in recurring role on Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix)
Joined season 2 of Santa Clarita Diet in a recurring role (2018).
Netflix talk show announced: The Joel McHale Show
Netflix announced Joel would receive a weekly talk show premiering in February 2018 focused on pop culture and news.
Film: The Happytime Murders (Agent Campbell)
Appeared in The Happytime Murders (2018) — later received a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actor (2019).
Revealed dyslexia after son's diagnosis
In a 2018 Armchair Expert interview, disclosed he is dyslexic — discovered when his two sons were diagnosed.
Recurring in Joel McHale: The Joel McHale Show and other hosting projects
In 2018 he both headlined his Netflix show and maintained other TV/guest roles; the show was canceled later that year.
Public revelation of son's childhood heart surgery (IMDb trivia)
IMDb lists that McHale's son Eddie underwent open-heart surgery when two months old and made a full recovery (date of event not provided publicly).
Netflix cancels The Joel McHale Show
Netflix canceled The Joel McHale Show after 19 episodes citing low viewership.
Cast as Sylvester Pemberton / Starman on Stargirl
Announced cast as the Golden Age Starman in DC Universe/The CW series Stargirl (recurring in seasons 1–2; upgraded later).
Announced to host Card Sharks revival (ABC)
TVLine reported Joel would host a revival of Card Sharks; revival premiered June 12, 2019.
Golden Raspberry nomination (Worst Supporting Actor)
Nominated for a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor for The Happytime Murders (2019 ceremony).
Executive producer credits expand
Served as executive producer on projects such as Card Sharks and Crime Scene Kitchen (producer roles expanded from 2019–2021).
Comedy special: Joel McHale: Live from Pyongyang
Released stand-up comedy special (2019).
Recurring Masked Singer panelist appearances
Frequent guest panelist on The Masked Singer across multiple seasons (10 episodes total across seasons).
Card Sharks revival premiere
ABC revival of Card Sharks premiered June 12, 2019 with Joel as host; ran two seasons (2019–2021) for 21 episodes total.
Voiced Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge
Voiced Johnny Cage in the direct-to-video animated martial arts film (2020); reprised role in sequel 2021 and later projects.
Hosted Tiger King after-show special (Netflix)
Hosted a special aftershow interviewing key subjects from Netflix's Tiger King documentary series.
Co-hosted 'The Darkest Timeline' podcast with Ken Jeong
Launched The Darkest Timeline podcast with former Community co-star Ken Jeong in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participated in 'Human Beings for Biden' campaign video
Along with Community castmates, created campaign video in support of Joe Biden (October 2020).
Voiced Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat Legends sequel
Reprised Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021).
Supported Children's Tumor Foundation
Public support for the Children's Tumor Foundation to raise awareness/treatment for neurofibromatosis (2021).
Voice role in Fortnite (The Scientist)
Voices 'The Scientist' character in Fortnite starting 2021 (ongoing credit).
Hosted Crime Scene Kitchen (Fox)
Began hosting Fox baking competition Crime Scene Kitchen in 2021; also served as executive producer.
Became host/co-host with Ken Jeong for Fox New Year's Eve special
With Ken Jeong, co-hosted Fox's New Year's Eve Toast & Roast (2020–2021 edition). Second edition canceled due to Omicron in Dec 2021.
Upgraded to series regular on Stargirl (Season 3)
Joel McHale upgraded from recurring to series regular for Season 3 of Stargirl.
Recurring role on The Bear as Chef David Fields
Joined FX on Hulu series The Bear as recurring character David Fields (2022–present), a notable critical series.
Card Sharks cancellation announced
The 2019 Card Sharks revival was officially canceled in April 2022.
Lead role in Animal Control (Fox)
Became lead actor and executive producer on Fox comedy series Animal Control (2023–present).
Hosted E! reality competition House of Villains
Hosted E!'s House of Villains reality competition series (premiered 2023).
Upcoming and recent film credits (2023–2026 projects)
Credits include Parachute (2023), Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023), It's a Wonderful Knife (2023), and projects announced through 2026 including Scream 7 (2026 credit announced 2025).
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