Stand-up comedian · Los Angeles, CA

Joel McHale

Who Joel McHale is

Joel McHale is an actor, comedian and television host, born in Rome and raised in the Seattle area, who studied at the University of Washington and lives in Los Angeles. He hosted E!'s The Soup from 2004 to 2015 and played Jeff Winger on NBC's Community from 2009 to 2015.

He stars in and executive produces FOX's Animal Control, hosts FOX's The 1% Club and Crime Scene Kitchen, and hosted E!'s House of Villains and ABC's Card Sharks revival. His other credits include The Great Indoors, Stargirl, Yellowjackets and The Bear. His stand-up special Joel McHale: Live from Pyongyang came out in 2019, he co-hosts the podcast The Darkest Timeline with Ken Jeong, and he wrote the 2016 book Thanks for the Money.

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At a glance

Born
1971
Based in
Los Angeles, CA
Stand-up specials
Live from Pyongyang
Podcasts
The Darkest Timeline
On screen
The Soup, Community, The Great Indoors and 7 more
Next on stage
12 November 2026 — Helium Comedy Club, Portland, OR
Official site
joelmchale.com ↗

On stage

Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

On screen

Podcasts

Comedians like Joel McHale

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Six Degrees of Komic Bacon: how they connect to anyone →

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1971Born
  2. 2004The Soup (host, E!, 2004) On screen
  3. 2009Community (Jeff Winger, NBC, 2009) On screen
  4. 2016The Great Indoors (lead, CBS, 2016) On screen
  5. 2019Live from Pyongyang (2019) Special
  6. 2019Card Sharks (host, ABC, 2019) On screen
  7. 2020Stargirl (Starman, DC Universe/The CW, 2020) On screen
  8. 2021Crime Scene Kitchen (host, Fox, 2021) On screen
  9. 2022The Bear (David Fields, FX on Hulu, 2022) On screen
  10. 2023Animal Control (lead, Fox, 2023) On screen
  11. 2023House of Villains (host, E!, 2023) On screen
  12. 2025The 1% Club (host, Fox, 2025) On screen

Questions and answers

Where is Joel McHale performing next?

Thursday 12 November 2026, 7:00 PM at Helium Comedy Club, Portland, OR, then 1 more date on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar. Each show's own listing has the last word.

What stand-up specials have they released?

Live from Pyongyang.

What podcasts have they been on?

The Darkest Timeline.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Soup, Community, The Great Indoors, Card Sharks, Stargirl and Crime Scene Kitchen, among 10 credits.

Where are they based?

Los Angeles, CA, as their record gives it.

When were they born?

In 1971.

Who are some comedians like them?

Justine Marino (also in The Soup), Mitra Jouhari (also in The Bear), Carmen Christopher (also in The Bear), Jim Jefferies (also in The 1% Club) and John Mulaney (also in The Bear).

Are you Joel McHale?

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The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.

Their SUCDb record →Their own site ↗

Sources

Updated 10 October 2026 · the record checked 10 October 2026