Ashley Rose Newton
(born April 13, 1985), known professionally as Lee Newton, is an American actress,
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...
and Web personality. She is a former co-host of the
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
news channel ''
SourceFed
SourceFed was a YouTube channel and news website created by Philip DeFranco in January 2012 as part of YouTube's original channel initiative, and was originally produced by James Haffner.
The main SourceFed channel mainly focused on popular cu ...
'', as well as a regular performer of The Gym Comedy group. Newton studied
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
in college, and is an alumna of
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniq ...
Sunday Company. Newton was a founding member of the production company and web-series known as The Valleyfolk, in which she was a co-host alongside fellow former ''SourceFed'' hosts Joe Bereta, Elliott Morgan, and Steve Zaragoza.
Early life
Lee Newton was raised in
Coarsegold,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. She believes that she is "a blend of her Father's wit and sarcasm and her Mother's absolute absurdity."
[ She also has a brother and a sister. Her brother, Jake, is a musician, and has his own YouTube channel. On March 2, 2012, a video was posted to her brother, Jake Newton's YouTube channel of the two singing a song cover of ]Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...
's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, '' Whitney'' (1987). It was released as the lead single from the album on May 2, 1987, by Arista Records. It was prod ...
".
Newton was born with several congenital heart defect
A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital heart defect is classed as a cardiovascul ...
s, including a ventricular septal defect
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a defect in the ventricular septum, the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart. The extent of the opening may vary from pin size to complete absence of the ventricular septum, creating one ...
, an atrial septal defect
Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart defect in which blood flows between the atria (upper chambers) of the heart. Some flow is a normal condition both pre-birth and immediately post-birth via the foramen ovale; however, when this d ...
, transposition of the great vessels
Transposition of the great vessels (TGV) is a group of congenital heart defects involving an abnormal spatial arrangement of any of the great vessels: superior and/or inferior venae cavae, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, and aorta. Congenita ...
, and pulmonic stenosis. She has undergone 4 open heart surgeries between the ages of 14 days and 13 years old.[ Due to this, Newton has often said that she is an advocate of people donating organs.
Newton studied ]theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
in college after receiving a theatre directed scholarship.
Newton is a comedian who performed short skits and improv at the Gym Comedy Group. Newton is also known for being an alumna of The Groundlings' Sunday Company.
Online career
''SourceFed'' and ''MyMusic'' (2012−2015)
Newton first rose to prominence online as the co-host of ''SourceFed
SourceFed was a YouTube channel and news website created by Philip DeFranco in January 2012 as part of YouTube's original channel initiative, and was originally produced by James Haffner.
The main SourceFed channel mainly focused on popular cu ...
'', a YouTube pop culture & news channel. The channel was one of the first 100 YouTube premium channels.
On February 6, 2012, Lee Newton's fellow co-hosts, Elliott Morgan
Elliott Christopher Morgan (born February 22, 1987) is an American stand up comedian, actor, writer, host, producer and YouTube personality. Morgan is best known for being a co-host of the YouTube channel '' SourceFed''. Morgan attended the Univ ...
and Joe Bereta, released a video to the ''SourceFed
SourceFed was a YouTube channel and news website created by Philip DeFranco in January 2012 as part of YouTube's original channel initiative, and was originally produced by James Haffner.
The main SourceFed channel mainly focused on popular cu ...
'' YouTube channel, concerning the list of ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
s Hot 100, which is released every year. Without Lee knowing, her co-hosts encouraged the viewers to vote for her as a 'write-in'. The decision to do this was the overwhelming response from other ''SourceFed'' videos; specifically AskMen
AskMen is a free online men's web portal, with international versions in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is owned by Ziff Davis and operates through the IGN Entertainment unit.
History
AskMen was ...
's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2012. The feedback contained comments that thought Newton should be included in these lists. The ''Maxim'' voting website added a CAPTCHA
A CAPTCHA ( , a contrived acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart") is a type of challenge–response test used in computing to determine whether the user is human.
The term was coined in 2003 b ...
after a flood of votes for her. On 3 April 2012, ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'' posted a list of the most popular 'write-in' candidates, and included Lee Newton, writing that she had 'list potential'. In result, she reached #57 in ''Maxims Hot 100. The following year, Newton received a ''Maxim'' profile.
Newton has been interviewed on two occasions by ''New Media Rockstars'', along with her ''SourceFed'' co-hosts. In an interview with the online publication, Newton stated "I think we lucked out having a team of hosts that really got along very well and had Phil’s vision, and we’re able to piggyback on that really quickly because he has such a clear vision, and he knew exactly what he wanted and such a concise idea of what he wanted and then having four people who really like each other and who can write really well. It was just energy. It was a collaboration that really started to take off." The statement was in response to the ''SourceFed'' YouTube channel reaching 500,000 subscribers.
In March 2013, Newton appeared alongside ''SourceFed'' co-host Steve Zaragoza
Esteban "Steve" Zaragoza (born June 9, 1982) is an American online personality, singer-songwriter, musician and web series host, notable for his work on the current events and news series '' SourceFed''. Zaragoza became a host on the series in 201 ...
and creator Philip DeFranco
Philip James DeFranco (born Philip James Franchini Jr.; born December 1, 1985), commonly known by his online nickname PhillyD, is an American YouTube personality. He is best known for ''The Philip DeFranco Show'', a news commentary show centered ...
in a Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
advertisement. Later, in May, ''SourceFed'' launched a spin-off channel, ''SourceFed Nerd'', on which Newton also appeared.
Also in May 2013, Newton appeared in an episode of the Fine Brothers's ''YouTubers React
YouTubers are people mostly known for their work on the video sharing platform YouTube. The following is a list of YouTubers for whom Wikipedia has articles either under their own name or their YouTube channel name. This list excludes people who ...
'', alongside ''SourceFed'' co-host, Steve Zaragoza. Newton would again work with the Fine Brothers as she joined the cast of '' MyMusic'' for its second season. On the series, Newton played the character of Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
, Idol's cousin. Newton also appeared in Toby Turner
Toby Joseph Turner (born March 3, 1985), also known by his stage name Tobuscus, is an American Internet personality and actor. Originally from Niceville, Florida, he is best known for his YouTube videos. As of November 5, 2021, Turner has a to ...
's ''HEELY COPS'' video.
Newton made appearances on YouTube channels outside of ''SourceFed'' and Fine Brothers-related series; Newton appeared in the ninth episode of Rhett and Link
Rhett James McLaughlin (born October 11, 1977) and Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III (born June 1, 1978) are an American comedy duo. Self-styled as "Internetainers" (a portmanteau of "Internet" and "entertainers"), they are known for creating an ...
's ''The Mythical Show'', along with Bereta and Morgan. Newton also voice acted as Tanya Burkowitz and Katelynn Zales in the stop-motion
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...
animated web series '' The Most Popular Girls in School'', in 2013.
On March 28, 2015, Newton appeared in her last video before her resignation from ''SourceFed'', alongside former ''SourceFed'' host Ross Everett.
''The Valleyfolk'' (2018−2019)
In 2018, Newton along with founding ''SourceFed'' hosts Joe Bereta, Elliott Morgan, and Steve Zaragoza, launched a production company and YouTube channel entitled ''The Valleyfolk
The Valleyfolk is a YouTube-based comedy group originating in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former SourceFed hosts Joe Bereta, Elliott Morgan, Lee Newton, and Steve Zaragoza. The channel launched in January 2018 and gained o ...
''. ''The Valleyfolk'' features various series. Among them are ''The Valleycast'', a podcast series, and ''Your Show'', a variety series
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compère ...
. The Valleyfolk competed on the NBC comedy competition show '' Bring the Funny'', winning the show's first season in 2019. On September 23, 2019, the other members of The Valleyfolk voted to terminate Newton's employment with the group.
Television appearances
Aside from online works, Newton appeared in the 2014 April Fools episode of '' Tosh.0''. That July, Newton was announced to be included in the cast of Comedy Central's series, ''CC: Social Scene''.
Newton hosted the ''Lip Sync Battle
''Lip Sync Battle'' is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on April 2, 2015, on the American cable network Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and Joh ...
'' Preshow with Elliott Morgan for Spike.
Awards and nominations
See also
* Bree Essrig
Breeana Danielle "Bree" Essrig (born April 21, 1990) is an OnlyFans model and an American actress, writer, host, and internet personality, known for her comedic writing and appearances on the (now defunct) news and current events series SourceFe ...
* Maude Garrett
Maude Garrett is an Australian born radio and television personality living and working in Los Angeles. She is currently the Entertainment Correspondent for The Project (Australian TV program). doing studio crosses live from Los Angeles. She i ...
* Meg Turney
Megan LeeAnn Turney (born March 12, 1987) is an American streamer, internet personality, cosplayer, glamour model, and vlogger. She became an internet personality through her hosting work, formerly with ''SourceFed'' and Rooster Teeth's '' The Kno ...
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Lee
1985 births
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American comedians
Actresses from Oregon
American female YouTubers
American podcasters
American sketch comedians
American stage actresses
American voice actresses
American web series actresses
American women comedians
American women podcasters
American YouTubers
Comedians from California
Comedy YouTubers
Living people
People from Coarsegold, California
SourceFed people
Women video bloggers
YouTube vloggers