Gethard is an improvisational actor who worked largely out of
Manhattan's
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He began taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2000 while he was a student at
Rutgers University. Gethard graduated from Rutgers University in 2002 with a degree in
American studies. He started to do standup comedy in 2006. In 2013, the
Independent Film Channel asked Gethard to write a pilot based on his book, ''A Bad Idea I'm About to Do''. IFC gave Gethard a year, in addition to writing his pilot, to market for them at festivals and produce web content. In August 2016, Gethard participated for the first time in the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing his show
Career Suicide dealing with his experiences of depression, suicide attempts and alcoholism. During his run at the festival, he also recorded an episode of
Stuart Goldsmith's "Comedian's Comedian Podcast", which was published in December 2016. On May 6, 2017,
HBO broadcast
Career Suicide, an evening of standup comedy based on Gethard's
off-Broadway show of the same title. Produced by
Judd Apatow, the HBO special has garnered praise from
The New York Times,
Time,
NPR,
The A.V. Club,
USA Today,
Entertainment Weekly,
The Daily Beast,
Paste,
The Huffington Post and
Splitsider. On October 10, 2019, he was featured in a 30-minute YouTube documentary called
Laughing Matters, created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die, wherein a variety of comedians discuss mental health.
The Chris Gethard Show '' in 2011 Gethard hosted
The Chris Gethard Show, a talk show that originally aired on the
Manhattan Neighborhood Network and was streamed around the world on Gethard's website. The show began as a live piece at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in 2009. Gethard then went to
Los Angeles to pitch a network version of the show, but ended up returning to New York City to produce it for public-access because he wanted to retain the chaotic, cheap feel of early
MTV talk shows. The show has since grown to consist of both stage and filmed performances. It has developed a reputation for outrageous spectacle, often featuring awkward viewer calls, high-concept group segments and Gethard subjecting himself to abuse, including an episode where he hired a kickboxer to hit him if he failed to answer simple questions about his friends. As a child, Gethard admired comedians who seemed to be able to do whatever they wanted, such as
Howard Stern,
Andy Kaufman, and
David Letterman. This interest influenced the style of
The Chris Gethard Show and laid the groundwork for Gethard's comedic persona. The show was entirely self-funded, and none of the performers were paid for their time during its public access time. However, this largely surfaced as result of the style of Upright Citizens Brigade shows and the aesthetic of the show, Gethard had stated that he would not be opposed to the show being picked up by a television network. He met with a number of network producers, but the show was not picked up, the primary concern being its unpredictable nature and frequent swearing. Throughout the show's many manifestations, it has attracted a number of celebrity guests, including
P. Diddy,
Amy Poehler,
Will Ferrell,
Paul Giamatti, and
Lena Dunham. After its run on Fusion,
The Chris Gethard Show was picked up for a third season by
truTV, and began airing live episodes in August 2017.
Beautiful/Anonymous Gethard hosts the
Earwolf podcast
Beautiful/Anonymous, which first aired on March 15, 2016. The following is Earwolf's description of the show: "1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. That’s the premise behind
Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, hosted by comedian Chris Gethard. Every week, Chris opens the phone line to one anonymous caller, and he can’t hang up first, no matter what. From shocking confessions and family secrets to philosophical discussions and shameless self-promotion, anything can and will happen!" He won the
Webby Award for
Best Host in 2017.
In Your Dreams Gethard co-hosted Earwolf's podcast,
In Your Dreams, with Gary Richardson. The podcast first aired on December 12, 2016, with special guest comedian
Aparna Nancherla, and the ninth and final episode aired on February 6, 2017. The podcast features Gethard discussing New Jersey history, lore, food, and more with his co-hosts, several childhood friends, and guests.
Books Gethard is also the author of
Weird NY, a book detailing the
ghost stories and
urban legends of
New York City, and ''A Bad Idea I'm About to Do'', a collection of stories from Gethard's life, which has been highlighted on
This American Life. Previously, Gethard served as an editorial assistant for the popular
Weird NJ and
Weird US publications. On October 16, 2018, Gethard's self-help narrative
Lose Well was published out of
HarperCollins's
HarperOne imprint.
Interactions with fans The Chris Gethard Show is well known for its audience interaction. One show featured a woman calling in to inquire about the purpose of the show. Gethard invited her to join them and she became a regular for four months. After this the notion of random, unknown fans becoming regular cast members became popular. The show continued this trend through its public access run, having a new "random" as a cast member for 15 episodes. ==Personal life==