Steve Hofstetter

Steve Hofstetter
in 2007
Birth name Steven Ira Hofstetter
Born (1979-09-11) September 11, 1979
Queens, New York
Medium Stand-up
Nationality American
Years active 2002–present
Genres Observational comedy, satire/political satire, social commentary
Subject(s) American culture, American politics, current events, pop culture, religion, foreign policy, ignorance
Website stevehofstetter.com

Steven Ira Hofstetter (born September 11, 1979) is an American comedian and television personality. His YouTube channel currently has over 100 million views.[1] He is the host of Finding Babe Ruth on FS1,[2] a regular panelist on MLB Now on MLB Network[3] and was the host and executive producer of "Laughs" on Fox television stations.[4]

As a radio personality, he hosted Four Quotas, which aired twice per week on Sirius Satellite Radio,[5] and The National Lampoon Radio Sports Minute (Or So) which aired in over 180 different markets. A print version of the Sports Minute runs in many papers, including the Rocky Mountain News.[6]

Hofstetter has written for outfits like Maxim, ESPN and Sports Illustrated for Kids. He was a weekly columnist for Sports Illustrated,[7] where his "Stand Up Guy" ran every Monday morning in Scorecard.

Hofstetter has made a number of television appearances, including ESPN's Quite Frankly, Showtime's White Boyz in the Hood, VH1's Countdown, ABC's Barbara Walters Special,[8] and CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[9] He has also been featured by local news programs in Boston, Atlanta, Louisville, Tulsa, Miami, and many other markets. He is a frequent guest on radio stations all over the country, especially sports stations.[10]

Background

Hofstetter grew up in the New York City borough of Queens, living at various times in Briarwood, Forest Hills and Rego Park.[11]

In 1997, Hofstetter graduated from Hunter College High School and in 2002, received his B.A. from Columbia University's School of General Studies.[12] At Columbia, he wrote for the Columbia Spectator[13] and was President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.[14][15]

Hofstetter is an avid supporter of the New York Mets.[16] He is Jewish.

Career

Laughs

In August 2014, Laughs debuted on Fox Television, with Hofstetter serving as executive producer and host. Laughs is a half-hour showcase show for standup comedians.[17]

Shortly after the first episode premiered, SAG/AFTRA issued a "Do Not Work" notice to its members due to Fox's choice to make the show a non-union production. This touched off a controversy as to whether or not all television shows should be union productions, and Hofstetter took the brunt of the criticism.[18]

In December 2014, FOX Television announced a 20-episode extension of the series, bringing the total first season run to 39 episodes.[19]

"The Heckler Destroyer"

Hofstetter earned a reputation for lashing out at hecklers,[20] and some of his anti-heckler YouTube clips reached over five million views. His channel reached over 90 million in total. Hofstetter credits the popularity to justice. He told the Orlando Sentinel, "People like seeing other people get what they deserve" and "You can't fake a heckler clip. People are excited to see someone who's ruining everyone else's time get their comeuppance."[21]

Sports and comedy

Though a comedian by trade, Hofstetter is also a sports writer. He has served as the Senior Comedy Correspondent for FOX Sports' "Just a Bit Outside".[22]

A former Sports Illustrated columnist, Hofstetter is also the co-creator of "Hofstetter's Jerk of the Week", a satirical sports website that chronicled the misdeeds of athletes. Now defunct, the site earned much publicity, including from Sports Illustrated, CNN, USA Today, and dozens of local newspapers.[23]

Hofstetter has also written for Maxim,[24] ESPN Magazine's "The Jump",[25] and NHL.com. The New York Times featured Hofstetter in a half-page article about how he infuses sports into his comedy, and he is now a frequent guest of many sports radio stations, especially ESPN affiliates.[26]

Hofstetter wrote National Lampoon's Balls in the summer of 2007.

Pay-What-You-Want

In December 2007, Hofstetter announced his new album, Dark Side of the Room. While the album has a shelf date of March 2008, listeners are allowed to download it directly from his website with "Pay-What-You-Want" à la Radiohead's 2007 album In Rainbows.[27]

Hofstetter is believed to be the first comedian to try the new model, and early returns reaffirm Radiohead's success.[28]

Hofstetter vs. The Cable Guy

In March 2006, Hofstetter and Razor & Tie announced the April 4 release of Cure for the Cable Guy, a 45-minute CD/DVD that featured a cover with a Larry the Cable Guy Doll hanging by a coax cable. The disc earned Stuff Magazine's "Album cover of the month". Later that week, Larry the Cable Guy's new film debuted and was universally panned. Several movie reviewers discussed Hofstetter's album, including the Orlando Sentinel's Roger Moore.[29] Moore's review was picked up by dozens of papers across the country, including the Chicago Tribune,[30] Denver Post,[31] and Columbus Dispatch.[32] Hofstetter did radio interviews about the album, including one with Philadelphia's Kidd Chris show, where Hofstetter spoke with Larry the Cable Guy's alter ego, Dan Whitney. Whitney ended the interview with his catch phrase, "Git-R-Done."

The album's cover was compared to the Sex Pistols' "Pink Floyd Sucks" T-shirts. Allmusic's Bret Love wrote, "Hofstetter effectively rebels against the mainstream by positioning himself as the antithesis of the world's most popular comedian. What could be more punk rock than that?"[33]

In July, an article in the New Yorker quoted Whitney as saying Hofstetter had been hurtful, and Whitney's manager criticizing Hofstetter for "trying to make a buck". In response, Hofstetter posted a video on YouTube explaining his stance on the Cable Guy and his comedy.[34]

Books

  • Student Body Shots: A Sarcastic Look at the Best 4–6 Years of Your Life
  • Student Body Shots – Another Round: More Sarcasm On The Best Four To Six Years Of Your Life
  • National Lampoon's Balls! An In Your Face Look at Sports (2007, National Lampoon)
  • Ginger Kid: Mostly True Tales from a Former Nerd

Album & Special releases

  • Ginger Kid (2015, Next Round)
  • Pick Your Battles (2011, Next Round)
  • Steve Hofstetter's Day Off (2009, Next Round)
  • The Dark Side of the Room (2008, Next Round)
  • Cure for the Cable Guy (2006, Razor & Tie)
  • Tastes Like Bliss (2004, unofficial release)

References

  1. ↑ "Steve Hofstetter". YouTube. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ "JABO correspondent Steve Hofstetter tries to answer how good Babe Ruth would be if he were playing today". October 23, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Steve Hofstetter on MLB Now - 05/10/2016". MLB.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  4. ↑ "TVNewser - Jobs in TV News". www.mediabistro.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Steve Hofstetter's Sports Minute or So". www.minuteorso.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  7. ↑ "SI.com - Steve Hofstetter - Writer Archive". Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  8. ↑ "comixny.com". www.comixny.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  9. ↑ "North Jersey - Montclair". North Jersey. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Featured Content on Myspace". Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  11. ↑ Silverberg, Alex. "Comic Thanks His Queens Upbringing", copy of article from The Queens Tribune, July 6, 2007. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. "Hofstetter has been all around Queens.. He spent his younger years in Briarwood before moving on to Forest Hills, and finally settling down in Rego Park for the duration of his teen years."
  12. ↑ "Alumni". www.alumni.gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Sigma Phi Epsilon – Building Balanced Men". www.sigep.org. Archived from the original on November 22, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  15. ↑ "History". Columbia Sigma Phi Epsilon. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Steve Hofstetter, Comedian - Download your free comedy album now!". www.stevehofstetter.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  17. ↑ Fox Television Stations Sets Summer Test Runs for Three Series, Variety
  18. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2014/08/11/actors-union-lambastes-the-laughing-derby-co-owner.html
  19. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/stevehofstetter/posts/10154969870960604
  20. ↑ , USA Today
  21. ↑ , Orlando Sentinel
  22. ↑ FOX Sports [@FOXSports] (13 February 2015). "Meet @SteveHofstetter, the new #JABO (Just A Bit Outside) Senior Comedy Correspondent! First up: Josh Hamilton" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ "Alumni". www.alumni.gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Maxim". Maxim. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  25. ↑ http://espn.go.com/magazine/jump_020816_strike.html
  26. ↑ "Featured Content on Myspace". Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Johnson City Press:". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  28. ↑ http://www.last100.com/2007/12/14/comedian-hofstetter-experiments-with-pay-what-you-want-and-provides-numbers/
  29. ↑ "Your Family's Media Guide - Ok.com". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
  31. ↑ ""Cable Guy" needs healthy joke infusion". March 25, 2006. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Mix971.net: The Leading Mix Site on the Net". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  33. ↑ "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture - VH1". VH1. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  34. ↑ Steve Hofstetter (July 6, 2006). "Why I Cured the Cable Guy (Steve Hofstetter)". Retrieved May 9, 2018 – via YouTube.
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