Alan Whitney Brown (born July 8, 1952) is an American writer and comedian best known for work on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' in the 1980s. In addition to writing for the program, he appeared opposite

Dennis Miller Dennis Michael Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American talk show host, political commentator, sports commentator, actor, and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1991, and he subsequently hosted a stri ...

in a biting satirical

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commentary segment called "The Big Picture". He won a 1988 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, along with

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...

, Tom Davis,

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...

Mike Myers Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywoo ...

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...

and Conan O'Brien. He was also one of the original correspondents on Comedy Central's ''

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'' from 1996 to 1998.

Career

Brown began his career as a street

juggler Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...

, and he became a stand-up comedian after entering the 1977

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Comedy Competition. He became a member of the Writer's Guild when he was hired by

to join the writing staff of ''

'' in 1985; he was also a featured performer. He left for personal reasons six years later. He worked briefly for the liberal radio network

Air America Radio Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010. The network was founded as a left wing alternative to counter ...

during its start-up period in early 2004 and remains active in online political discourse. He also wrote the screenplay for an episode of HBO's horror anthology show ''

Tales From the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' named "Collection Completed" (Season 1, Episode 6; first aired in America on June 28, 1989).

Personal life

On March 4, 2011, Brown married

Carolyn Wonderland Carolyn Wonderland (born Carolyn Bradford, November 9, 1972) is an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. She is married to comedian and writer A. Whitney Brown. Early life and education Carolyn Wonderland was born Carolyn Bradford i ...

, a blues singer and guitarist, in

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. The marriage was officiated by

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith or Mike Nesmith, (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series ''The Monkees'' (1966� ...

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.New York Times: Website
/ref> Brown was previously married to Cynthia Swanson, a New York newspaper designer, from 1976 to 2011. Through this prior marriage, Brown has a daughter, Serena, and a granddaughter, Thea Lenore.

Works

*''The Big Picture: An American Commentary''. HarperCollins, 1991.

References

External links

*
Blog
at

Daily Kos Daily Kos ( ) is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party and liberal American politics. The site includes glossaries and other content. It is sometimes considered an example of " netroots" activism. Daily Kos was ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, A. Whitney 1952 births Living people American satirists American sketch comedians American stand-up comedians American television writers American male television writers Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Charlotte, Michigan 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Comedians from Michigan Screenwriters from Michigan