Born:

November 23, 1971

Chris Hardwick Overview:

Though he may be best known as the host of lamentable '90s MTV dating show Singled Out, comedian and host Chris Hardwick has been on the stand-up scene for nearly 15 years. In 2010, he became one of a small number of comics to reinvent himself as the host of The Nerdist, a very successful comedy podcast. It has become so successful, in fact, that Hardwick is now basically the CEO of Nerdist Industries.

Inspired by alternative comics like Dana Gould and Patton Oswalt, Hardwick's comedy is silly and cerebral. He has spent his entire life as a student of stand-up and a true comedy geek, and his enthusiasm comes across in everything he does.

Quick Chris Hardwick Facts:

• Chris Hardwick was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised in Tennessee.
• In 1995, he began hosting the popular MTV dating series Singled Out with co-host Jenny McCarthy. The show lasted for three seasons.
• He began performing stand-up comedy regularly in 1998, shortly after the cancellation of Singled Out.
• He is one half of the musical comedy team Hard 'n Phirm alongside Mike Phirman.
• Hardwick began hosting the internet clip show Web Soup on G4 in 2009.
• In 2010, Hardwick started The Nerdist podcast, one of the most popular comedy podcasts on the internet.
• In 2011, he published his first book, a memoir and self-help book called The Nerdist Way.
• His first hour-long stand-up special for Comedy Central, Mandroid, premiered in 2012.
• He began hosting the nightly comedy series @Midnight for Comedy Central in late 2013. The show was picked up for a full order beginning in early 2014.

Chris Hardwick and The Nerdist:

In 2010, Hardwick launched The Nerdist podcast with co-hosts and fellow comics Jonah Ray and Matt Mira. Each episode runs around an hour and is typically an interview with a comic, actor or musician, though there are non-guest episodes in which Hardwick, Ray and Mira discuss random topics and joke around. The podcast became so successful that Hardwick partnered with GeekChicDaily to launch Nerdist Industries in 2011, which now includes an entire podcast network (including shows like Making It hosted by Riki Lindhome, one half of Garfunkel and Oates, and You Made it Weird hosted by comedian Pete Holmes). The Nerdist has been named one of the best comedy podcasts by both The A.V. Club and Rolling Stone.

Beginning in 2011, Hardwick and company began touring with The Nerdist, traveling around to cities around the U.S. and recording live episodes, preceded by stand-up sets from him, Ray and Mira.

The BBC ordered several Nerdist half-hour specials beginning in 2011.

Additional Chris Hardwick Facts:

• Hardwick was roommates with actor Wil Wheaton for a time in the 1990s.
• He worked as a DJ on L.A.'s famous KROQ radio station during the '90s.
• In addition to hosting Singled Out and Web Soup, Hardwick hosted the dating series Shipmates from 2001 to 2003, Ministry of Laughs on the BBC, Wired Science on PBS and, beginning in 2011, the Walking Dead recap talk show Talking Dead on AMC.
• He has been romantically linked to actresses Jacinda Barrett (to whom he was engaged) and Janet Varney and musician Lisa Loeb.
• He has performed stand-up on The Benson Interruption and John Oliver's New York Stand-up Show. In 2008, Hard 'n Phirm taped their own Comedy Central Presents special.
• He has been alcohol free since 2003. Hardwick has claimed that before that time, he had something of a drinking problem.
• He has had small roles in several feature films, including Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and Halloween II as well as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and The Mother of Invention.