Craig Lawrence Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American comedian, sports and political commentator, actor, and television host. Kilborn began a career in sports broadcasting in the late 1980s, leading to an anchoring position at
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...
's ''
SportsCenter
''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of American cable and satellite television network ESPN. The show covers various sports teams and athletes from around the world and ...
'' from 1993 to 1996. He was later the first host of ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'', which he hosted from 1996 to 1998, and succeeded
Tom Snyder on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
' ''
The Late Late Show'' from 1999 to 2004. In 2010, he launched ''The Kilborn File'' after a six-year absence from television, which aired on some
Fox stations for a six-week trial run. In comedy, Kilborn is known for his
deadpan
Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...
delivery.
Early life
Craig Kilborn was born in
Kansas City, the son of Shirley, a schoolteacher, and Hiram Kilborn, an insurance executive. When he was four years old, he and his family moved to
Hastings, Minnesota
Hastings is a city mostly in Dakota County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat, with a portion in Washington County, Minnesota. It is near the confluence of the Mississippi, Vermillion, and St. Croix Rivers. Its population was 22,154 at ...
, where he was raised. Kilborn was taller than his peers from an early age, eventually growing to , becoming a standout on the playground basketball court as he got older.
In the ninth grade, Kilborn was recruited by the Northside Magicians, an all-star basketball team in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota. He excelled with the Magicians and with the
Hastings High School basketball team, ultimately earning three letters and multiple all-conference and all-state honors.
After graduating high school, Kilborn accepted a scholarship to play for
Montana State University, where he earned dual bachelor's degrees in media and theater arts in 1985 and has joked he "led the
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eight ...
in
turnovers" and also
bench press
The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectoralis ...
ed while training.
Career
Media
Kilborn began in radio, as the CBA
Savannah Spirits
The Savannah Spirits were a professional basketball team that played for two years in the Continental Basketball Association from 1986 to 1988, amassing a total regular season record of 42 wins and 60 losses for a total of 306.5 points. The team o ...
's play-by-play radio commentator in 1986 and 1987. He later began his television career in
California as the sports anchor for
Monterey County
Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.
Montere ...
's
Fox affiliate
KCBA
KCBA (channel 35) is a television station in Salinas, California, United States, serving the Monterey Bay area as an affiliate of The CW Plus. It is owned by Seal Rock Broadcasters, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with the News ...
in
Salinas. Some of his early on-air work included covering the
Gilroy Garlic Festival
The Gilroy Garlic Festival was a food festival in the United States, held annually from 1979 to 2019 at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, California, on the last full weekend in July. After cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a drive- ...
and playing
bocce
(, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls and French , with a common ancestry from anc ...
with the locals near
Cannery Row. Kilborn lived in nearby
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ri ...
.
''SportsCenter''
After several small jobs, Kilborn became an
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...
''
SportsCenter
''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of American cable and satellite television network ESPN. The show covers various sports teams and athletes from around the world and ...
''
anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...
from 1993 to 1996. He was primarily the anchor of the late broadcast of ''SportsCenter'' which he coined "The Feel Good Edition". His numerous catch phrases included "Release, Rotation, Splash", "Jumanji", and "Oh, Precious". He made a return appearance to ''SportsCenter'' on August 8, 2004, when he co-hosted ''SportsCenter'' with
Dan Patrick during
ESPN's 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Late-night hosting
''The Daily Show''
In 1996, Kilborn became host of ''The Daily Show'' on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
. During his three-year tenure, ''The Daily Show'' was named "Best Late Night Comedy" by ''
TV Guide''. Kilborn was also nominated for a
CableACE Award
The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Ame ...
for Outstanding Entertainment Host. Some recurring features Kilborn created at ''The Daily Show'' included: "5 Questions", "Moment for Us", "Dance, Dance, Dance", and "Your Moment of Zen" (later hosts would continue to use the latter feature).
In a 1997 interview with ''
Esquire'', Kilborn made jokes regarding ''Daily Show'' creator and head writer
Lizz Winstead
Lizz Winstead (born August 5, 1961) is an American comedian, radio and television personality, and blogger. A native of Minnesota, Winstead is the co-creator of ''The Daily Show'' along with Madeleine Smithberg, and served as head writer.
Ea ...
, saying, "To be honest, Lizz does find me very attractive. If I wanted her to bl-- me, she would." Kilborn apologized publicly and pointed out that the remarks were "said in jest", but he was suspended for a week.
In 1998,
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
and
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of '' Late Night with David Letterman ...
's production company,
Worldwide Pants, selected Kilborn to replace
Tom Snyder as host of ''
The Late Late Show'' to run after ''
Late Show with David Letterman''. His final ''Daily Show'' episode aired on December 17, 1998, ending a 386-episode tenure. On January 11, 1999,
Jon Stewart replaced Kilborn as host of ''The Daily Show''.
On Jon Stewart's last ''Daily Show'' episode August 6, 2015, Kilborn made a cameo appearance as "Host Emeritus". It was his first appearance on the show since he left as host.
In a 2020 interview with
The Athletic, Kilborn reflected on his time on ''The Daily Show'', stating that he "had a blast" doing the show and that he was "living in New York City, hosting a comedy show, and sipping martinis at the illustrious 21 Club." He also said he "wasn’t hired at
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
to do a politics-heavy show, and he "would never do one — I have no interest." Kilborn credited ''The Daily Show'' for leading him to his dream job of hosting a traditional late night show. He also said, "''The Daily Show'' was innocently set up in a different way — they didn’t hire the host first – so we inherited each other. Fortunately, most of the people were a good fit and supportive. But as much as I enjoyed it...I was always a short-timer. It wasn’t my show, and I wanted to do a network traditional hour format as opposed to a half-hour news parody."
''The Late Late Show''
Kilborn hosted ''The Late Late Show'' for five years, changing the format to appeal to a younger audience. On the show, he popularized segments such as "Yambo" and "5 Questions". He created several characters, including Sebastian, the Asexual Icon. He also narrated his own introduction and would enter to the sound of the song "
Play That Funky Music" at the beginning of his show.
In August 2004, Kilborn elected not to extend his contract. In a 2010 interview with the ''
Los Angeles Times'' Kilborn said, "I didn't leave to do anything else, I left to leave. I achieved my career goals and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be," and adding that he believed the late night timeslot to be "crowded," and "the formats repetitive."
Kilborn later stated in a 2019 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, "The main reason I left the Late Late Show was creatively I lost interest in late night comedy. The other reason was that the business side of that particular show was excessively flawed so I escaped the silliness," adding that he had "developed a specific, aristocratic comedic sensibility that didn’t mesh with late night."
In a 2009 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, World Wide Pants executive
Peter Lassally
Peter Lassally (born 1932) is a German-born American former executive who served as the executive producer of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', ''Late Night with David Letterman'', the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and the '' Lat ...
indicated that Kilborn left the show "because he didn't get the raise he wanted." However, Kilborn stated in a 2004 interview with ''Daily Variety'' that "
'The Late Late Show''was easily the greatest job I've had, and CBS was very generous in their offer to re-sign me."
Kilborn's last episode of ''The Late Late Show'' aired on August 27, 2004. The Scottish-born American comedian
Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show '' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won ...
took over the show on January 3, 2005."
''The Kilborn File''
Craig Kilborn returned to television on June 28, 2010 after six years off the air, when his new half-hour show ''The Kilborn File'' debuted on select Fox stations. The show aired for a six-week test run on a 7:00 pm time slot in most markets, but was not well received.
[Five Weeks In, 'Kilborn' Ratings Stand Still](_blank)
''NextTV'' August 3, 2010 Christine Lakin
Christine Helen Lakin (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/ CBS sitcom '' Step by Step''. She also played Joan of Arc on Showtime's ''Reefer Madnes ...
was his sidekick. The show brought back many of the hallmark segments from his time on ''The Daily Show'' and ''The Late Late Show,'' such as "5 Questions" and a segment similar to "Yambo" (with some minor rule changes and a name change to "Kilbo" and later to "Kilbyashi").
[The Kilborn File - Alex Meraz 2/2](_blank)
''YouTube'' July 6, 2010[The Kilborn File - Mia Wasikowska 2/2](_blank)
''YouTube'' July 16, 2010 The show was not renewed.
Other work
In the movie ''
Old School'' (2003), Kilborn played Mark, the philandering boyfriend of
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...
's character. In the 2006 film ''
The Benchwarmers'', he played Jerry, the bully to
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role as the title character of the 2004 comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite''. He has also appeared in the films '' Just Like Heaven'', ''The Benchwarmers'', '' ...
,
David Spade
David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, television host, and writer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the 1990s, and he later began an acting career in both film and television. He also s ...
, and
Rob Schneider's nerdy roles. In 2011, Kilborn played the villain in an episode of ''
Chuck
Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to:
People
Arts and entertainment
* Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet
* Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer
* ...
'' during its final season.
Kilborn guest hosted ''
The Artie Lange Show
''The Artie Lange Show'' was an American sports entertainment radio show hosted by comedian Artie Lange, airing from October 2011 to April 2014 on the Audience Network, DirecTV, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and several terrestrial radio stations by Pre ...
'' on November 6–8, 2013.
He appeared in a TV commercial for
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese in 2016.
Filmography
Film
Television
Bibliography
* ''The Daily Show's Five Questions from Comedy Central'' (
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company that publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal (which comprises AM ...
, 1998)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilborn, Craig
1962 births
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American writers
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American male actors
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male television actors
American political commentators
American satirists
American social commentators
American television talk show hosts
American television writers
Basketball players from Minnesota
Basketball players from Kansas City, Missouri
Comedians from Minnesota
Comedians from Missouri
Criticism of journalism
Late night television talk show hosts
Living people
Male actors from Minnesota
Male actors from Missouri
American male television writers
Montana State Bobcats men's basketball players
Montana State University alumni
People from Hastings, Minnesota
People from Kansas City, Missouri
Sportspeople from Minnesota
Sportspeople from Kansas City, Missouri
Writers from Minnesota
Writers from Kansas City, Missouri
American men's basketball players