Jesse Joyce (born September 24, 1978) is an American
stand-up comedian,
Emmy Nominated and
WGA Award WGA may refer to:
In arts and entertainment:
* Web Gallery of Art
* Writers Guild of Alberta
* Writers Guild of America, an American union
** Writers Guild of America, East
** Writers Guild of America, West
Other uses:
* Wagga Wagga Airport
...
winning writer.
Joyce has made many television appearances, including
Jimmy Kimmel Live
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's lea ...
, Comedy Central's
@midnight with Chris Hardwick, Comedy Underground with
Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's ''Insomniac with Dave Attell'', which earned him a cult following. His work has drawn admiration from many comedi ...
, ''
Live At Gotham
''Live at Gotham'' is a standup comedy television show airing on Comedy Central in the United States. The show features up and coming stand up comedians performing live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City
...
'', ''
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'', ''
Last Call with Carson Daly
''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...
'', AXS's Gotham Comedy Live, Comedy.TV,
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
's ''Date Night'', ''
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 ...
's Roast Battle', Seeso's The Guest List'' and was a regular guest on
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
's ''I Love The 1880s'' and
VH1’s ''Big Morning Buzz Live'' with
Carrie Keagan. He was a recurring guest on ''
Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld'' and was a semi-finalist on the 2010 season of
Last Comic Standing
''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...
. In addition he has written for numerous television specials and award shows, most notably the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...
,
90th Academy Awards
The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...
, and
95th Academy Awards
The 95th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor films released in 2022, and is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 12, 2023. Comed ...
, the
72nd Emmy Awards, the
71st Tony Awards
The 71st Annual Tony Awards were held on June 11, 2017, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2016–17 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was broadcast live by CBS.Viagas, Robert"Bre ...
and the
Comedy Central Roasts
''Comedy Central Roast'' is a series of celebrity roast specials that air on the American television channel Comedy Central. The first official ''Comedy Central Roast'' premiered on August 10, 2003. On average one or two roasts air every year. Th ...
.
Early life and education
Joyce was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. He is a graduate of
Bishop Canevin High School and
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
, image = Holy Gh ...
in Pittsburgh with a dual major in Studio art and communication and a minor in art history. While in high school he attended art classes at
Carnegie Mellon University. He first took the stage as a comedian while working as a barback/janitor at The Pittsburgh Funnybone at the age of 18. Joyce continued to perform stand-up comedy while attending Duquesne in 1998.
Career
After graduation, Joyce worked for a year as a designer and copywriter for Elisco Advertising in Pittsburgh; he won two
ADDY Awards
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest national advertising trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry ...
for his work. He took part in comedy in his spare time. He saved his money, and in 2001 he moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Over the next few years he made several television appearances including Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and hosting Date Night for AMC. In 2005 his manager paired him with another of his clients,
Greg Giraldo
Gregory Carlos Giraldo (December 10, 1965 – September 29, 2010) was an American stand-up comedian, television personality, and lawyer. He is remembered for his appearances on Comedy Central's televised roast specials, and for his work on ...
, since both had recently given up alcohol
[Joyce's "Pro Joyce"']
''Comedy REviews''. and could support each other while working together.
Joyce was Giraldo's opening act and writing partner until Giraldo's death in 2010. Together they wrote scripts for the many roasts which Giraldo performed, on including the Comedy Central Roasts of
Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...
,
Bob Saget
Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget played Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'' (1987-1995), and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fulle ...
,
Larry The Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally by his persona Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, country music artist, and former radio personality.
He was one of the members of the ...
,
Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...
, and
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
and the TBS Celebrity Roast of
Cheech and Chong
Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie a ...
.
At the time of Giraldo's death, the pair had begun working on the Cringe Humor Roast of
Jim Florentine
James Florentine (born August 18, 1964) is an American comedian, actor, author and television personality. He is best known for co-hosting '' That Metal Show'' on VH1 Classic and voicing several characters on ''Crank Yankers'', including Cra ...
, which Joyce performed in his place. He was then hired onto the staff for the Comedy Central Roasts of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
,
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...
,
Roseanne,
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...
and
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
where he met and wrote for
Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane hired Joyce to write for him when he hosted the 85th Academy Awards.
Joyce was a staff writer for the first two seasons of ''The Burn'' with
Jeff Ross
Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the ...
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 ...
. In addition to Giraldo, MacFarlane, and Ross, Joyce has also written for
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...
,
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...
,
Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's ''Insomniac with Dave Attell'', which earned him a cult following. His work has drawn admiration from many comedi ...
,
Jim Norton,
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), best known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, writer, producer, and professional wrestler. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ...
,
Jeff Dunham
Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Tonigh ...
,
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered and voiced by Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often puffs a cigar ...
and the Today Show's
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...
. From 2014 through 2017 he was writer and regular guest on
@midnight with Chris Hardwick In 2016 Joyce was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
in the category of Outstanding Writing for A Variety Special
for
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
's 2016 Election Special on Hulu, for which he went on to win a 2017
Writers' Guild Award for Best Comedy/Variety Special. Since 2017 Jesse has been a writer for
Jimmy Kimmel Live
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's lea ...
on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and was nominated for a 2018 and 2023
Writer's Guild Award for Best Comedy/Variety Series.
Joyce has performed for American Service Men and Women in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, South Korea and Japan. He has also performed internationally in Switzerland, Ireland, China, Malaysia, Singapore and was invited to perform at the
Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in 2013 in Montreal Canada.
In 2009 Joyce was chosen for the role of Price in the independent film
Stags produced by
Ben Barenholtz
Ben Barenholtz (October 5, 1935 – June 27, 2019) was a Polish-born American film exhibitor, distributor and producer, who was a presence in the independent film scene since the late 1960s, when he opened The Elgin Cinema in New York City in 1 ...
. In 2010 he was a semi-finalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing finishing in the top 20.
He was a regular guest on the
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
late night comedy program ''
Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld
''Red Eye'', also known as ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'' from 2007 to 2015 and ''Red Eye w/ Tom Shillue'' from 2015 to 2017, was an American late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on Fox News, which aired at 3:00 a.m. ET Tuesday throu ...
'' from 2009-2017.
Joyce has released two albums, the first, ''Joyce To The World'' was released independently in 2005 and his sophomore album ''Pro Joyce'' was released through Rooftop Records in 2011.
Personal life
Joyce is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober since June 5, 2005 and often performs at rehabilitation and recovery centers.
In 2010, he married Haley Kozlowski, but the couple divorced in 2012.
In 2015, he married Emily Cook.
References
External links
*
*
Interview with Jesse Joyce regarding recovery from drugs and alcohol published July 6, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Jesse
1978 births
Living people
American stand-up comedians
American male comedians
21st-century American comedians