{{Short description|American commentator and humorist (born 1966)}} {{for|the British musician|Brand New Heavies}}
{{Infobox person | name = Andrew Levy | birth_name = Andrew L. Levy | birth_date = 1966 | birth_place = [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], US | education = | alma_mater = [[Columbia University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) | occupation = [[Writer]], [[Celebrity|television personality]], [[Pundit|commentator]], [[humorist]], [[Television producer|producer]], [[publicist]] | employer = [[Daily Beast]]<br /> [[HLN (TV network)]]<br /> [[Fox News]]<br /> [[Directors Guild of America]] | known_for = [[Red Eye (talk show)|''Red Eye'']] | spouse = | other_names = Andy Levy | website = }} '''Andrew''' ('''Andy''') '''L. Levy''' (born 1966) is an American commentator and humorist.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Marhoefer |first=Laurie |date=December 1, 1999 |title=The History of Columbia's Oldest Student Paper: Fed Looks Back on a Millennium of Distinguished Publication |volume=15 |work=The Fed |publisher=Columbia University |issue=5 |url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/thefed/v3/volume15/5/fedhistory.shtml |access-date=May 27, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Phetasy |first=Bridget |date=July 25, 2019 |title=Andy Levy Fears Getting A Tarot Card Reading |url=https://ricochet.com/podcast/walk-ins-welcome-bridget-phetasy/why-andy-levy-fears-getting-a-tarot-card-reading/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=ricochet.com |publisher=Walk-Ins Welcome w/ Bridget Phetasy #41}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Levy grew up in [[Long Island]], New York.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":10" /> He attended [[Columbia University]], where he was a member of the fraternity [[St. Anthony Hall]] and co-founded a newspaper, ''[[The Fed (newspaper)|The Fed]],'' with [[Neil Gorsuch]] and P. T. Waters. ''The Fed'' was a response to campus liberals.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10" /> "It had no campus visibility. It was sort of like shouting into the wind," Levy said.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vinciguerra |first=Thomas |date=2017 |title=Neil Gorsuch: As a Columbia Undergrad, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch '88CC Learned How to Argue His Opinions |url=https://magazine.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/2018-09/Columbia_Fall2017.pdf |journal=Columbia Magazine |publisher=Columbia University |issue=Fall |pages=26}}</ref>
Eleven credits short of his degree, Levy served in the [[U.S. Army]] from 1990 to 1993 as a combat signaler.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2009-12-26 |title=The Interrogation Room: Andy Levy – The Activity Pit |url=http://activitypit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-interrogation-room-andy |access-date=2022-05-27 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091226162544/http://activitypit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-interrogation-room-andy |archive-date=26 December 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> He was motivated to enlist for [[Operation Desert storm|Operation Desert Storm]].<ref name=":10" /> However, Levy spent a year in the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]] and also served at [[Fort Lewis (Washington)|Fort Lewis]] in [[Tacoma, Washington]].<ref name=":4" />
After he left the army, Levy returned to Columbia University and completed his B.A. in political science.<ref name=":10" />
== Career == After college, Levy received a grant for a year-long internship at [[NBC News]] in Washington, D.C.<ref name=":10" /> After the internship was over, he was hired by NBC and worked there for two years.<ref name=":10" /> Levy enjoyed the job and coworkers, but did not like Washington, D.C., and politics.<ref name=":10" />
He moved to Los Angeles for ten years.<ref name=":10" /> While there, Levy was the publicist for the [[Academy Awards]] for five months. He then worked for six years as the deputy communications director with the [[Directors Guild of America]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2002 |title=Miami no longer production center |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2002/05/27/daily75.html |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=South Florida Business Journal}}</ref><ref name=":10" />
For three years, Levy played keyboards in the band Dalton Grant, based in Los Angeles.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":10" /> He was also in a cover band, Suite 69, fronted by Dalton Grant bass player Aaron Britt and that included Dalton Grant drummer Joey Ponchetti.<ref name=":4" />
In addition, Levy blogged as the ''Cranky Insomniac.''<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |date=2008-09-22 |title=The Cranky Insomniac |url=http://crankyinsomniac.blogspot.com/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922221433/http://crankyinsomniac.blogspot.com/ |archive-date=22 September 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== ''Red Eye'' === {{Main|Red Eye (talk show)}}
Beginning on February 7, 2007, Levy appeared on ''[[Red Eye (talk show)|Red Eye]]'', the [[Fox News|Fox News Channel]] late night talk show hosted by [[Greg Gutfeld]]''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Campbell |date=April 10, 2007 |title=At 2 A.M., Dark Humor Meets the Camera Lights |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/arts/television/10gutf.html?_r=1&n=Top/News/Business/Companies/Fox%20Entertainment%20Group,%20Inc.&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin |access-date=May 26, 2022}}</ref>'' Levy served as the show's [[ombudsman]]—a [[fact-checking]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] who came out for the "Halftime Report" and the "Postgame Wrap-up" to tell the panel what they got wrong and what they missed talking about.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bunch |first=Sonny |date=April 7, 2017 |title=Opinion Fox News' 'Red Eye' was something rare for cable news — it was fun |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2017/04/07/fox-news-red-eye-was-something-rare-for-cable-news-it-was-fun/ |access-date=May 26, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Malice |first=Michael |date=2017-04-10 |title=Behind the Scenes of the Very Last Episode of 'Red Eye' |url=https://observer.com/2017/04/behind-the-scenes-fox-red-eye-final-episode/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=Observer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Levy also did fake news reports and later became a regular panelist and co-host on the show.<ref name=":6">{{Citation |title=Red Eye's Andy Levy on News, Satire, and Political Correctness |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZG0S13H0So |publication-date=Apr 28, 2015 |publisher=Reason TV |language=en |access-date=2022-05-27}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> He was referred to as "TV's Andy Levy" and was known for his [[deadpan]] delivery and a catch-phase "[[Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld#Andy Levy's running gag|I apologize for nothing]]."<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-18 |title=Andy Levy's Chris Brown Apology On 'Red Eye' Most Sincere Thing Ever (VIDEO) |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/andy-levy-chris-brown-apology_n_930638 |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=Huffington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":10" />
"When the show first started, there wasn't anyone more uncomfortable in front of a camera than I was," Levy said. "And I mean in the 400-year history of television. My hands were literally shaking every time I was on air."<ref name=":4" />
''Red Eye'' ended in April 2017.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Kirell |first=Andrew |date=2017-11-28 |title=Former Fox News Star: Fox Is Now 'Trump News Network' |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-fox-news-star-fox-is-now-trump-news-network |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}</ref> However, Levy continued to work at Fox News.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Andy Levy addresses cancellation of 'Red Eye' |url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/5384563604001/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=Fox News |date=12 September 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
=== ''Unfiltered'' === In August 2017, Levy joined [[S.E. Cupp]]'s ''Unfiltered'' on [[HLN (TV network)|HLN]] as a panelist and senior producer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=A. J. |date=July 26, 2017 |title=Former Fox Newser Andy Levy to Join S.E. Cupp's New HLN Show |url=https://adweek.it/2R7wIRt |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=TV Newser |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Concha |first=Joe |date=2018-08-09 |title=Conservative SE Cupp's 'Unfiltered' program moving to CNN |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/401073-conservative-se-cupps-unfiltered-program-moving-to-cnn/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> He left when the show changed its format after a move to [[CNN]] in 2018.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":10" />
=== ''The New Abnormal'' === In 2021, Levy joined ''[[The Daily Beast]]'' podcast, ''The New Abnormal,'' as a co-host with [[Molly Jong-Fast]].<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2021-12-26 |title='The New Abnormal' Hosts Molly Jong-Fast & Andy Levy Ask and Answer 20 Stupid Questions |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-new-abnormal-hosts-molly-jong-fast-and-andy-levy-ask-and-answer-20-stupid-questions |access-date=2022-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-abnormal/id1508202790 |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Twitter wars == In 2011, Levy was involved in a [[Twitter]] war with [[Chris Brown]].<ref name=":8">Apology outfoxes Brown TWITTER FIGHT By: Edited by ANNA BRAIN, MX Sydney, Aug 25, 2011. Regional Business News. via EBSCO, accessed May 27, 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rogers |first=Katie |date=2011-08-19 |title=Chris Brown Twitter exchange with Fox News's Andy Levy ends with fakest apology ever |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/chris-brown-twitter-exchange-with-fox-newss-andy-levy-ends-with-fakest-apology-ever/2011/08/19/gIQA7UXNQJ_blog.html |access-date=2022-05-27 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US}}</ref> When somewhat forced to make an apology to Brown, he chose the platform of ''[[Red Eye (talk show)|Red Eye]].<ref name=":8" />'' Levy said:
<blockquote>I'd like to apologize to Chris Brown and to his fans, who are known as Team Breezy. To Mr. Brown, I apologize for referencing the fact that you beat the crap out of [[Rihanna]]. It was disrespectful of me to draw attention to the fact that you put your girlfriend in the hospital. And further, it was not my place to make people remember that you beat a woman with your fists, leaving her with multiple facial contusions, a bloody nose, and a split lip. ...
To Team Breezy, thank you for your thousands of tweets which taught me about the creative possibilities of spelling, grammar, and syntax. ... In particular, I'd like to thank the female members of Team Breezy, who have taught me that as long as you can sing, you can beat the living hell out of a woman and other women will still love you. And lastly, I apologize to everyone for using Twitter to subtly address the fact it's disgusting that a guy who put his girlfriend in a hospital can, a mere two years later, be warmly welcomed back into society and appear on shows such as ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' as if everything he did magically never happened.<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Andy Levy Apologizes and Owns Chris Brown | date=29 August 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU1mXS0KgqA |language=en |access-date=2022-05-27}}</ref></blockquote>
Levy also engaged in a minor Twitter war with [[Adam Levine]] in 2011 after the latter posted his request that [[Fox News]] stop using his music.<ref name=":7">{{Cite magazine |last=Perpetua |first=Matthew |date=2011-10-20 |title=Fox News Hosts Fire Back at Adam Levine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fox-news-hosts-fire-back-at-adam-levine-238557/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> Levy replied in the same format as Levine's original post, saying, "Dear @AdamLevine, don't make crappy f-king music ever again. Thank you."<ref name=":7" />
Levy took a seven-month hiatus from Twitter in 2018.<ref name=":10" /> He says, "Twitter was fun at one point. ... Once it hit a critical mass of people it just started sucking."<ref name=":10" />
== Personal life == Levy is a libertarian and occasionally takes positions that differ from [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":9" /> In 2011, he defended liberal comedian and television host [[Bill Maher]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Get over Bill Maher's Tim Tebow tweet, says Fox News' Andy Levy, 'He's a comedian – who cares?' |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bill-maher-tim-tebow-tweet-fox-news-guest-andy-levy-comedian-cares-article-1.997945 |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=New York Daily News}}</ref> In 2016, he said that conservatives "shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the African American community’s frustration" with the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Bunch |first=Sonny |date=January 27, 2016 |title=Opinion {{!}} Why conservatives should back plans to make the Oscars more diverse |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/01/27/why-conservatives-should-back-plans-to-make-the-oscars-more-diverse/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> That same year after [[Michelle Obama]] made a speech he wrote, "Seriously republicans are very lucky Michelle Obama says she has no interest in running for office."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Eugene |date=2016-07-26 |title=Conservatives, liberals and celebrities praise Michelle Obama's speech {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/26/politics/michelle-obama-speech-reactions/index.html |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> In the introduction of his podcast, ''The New Abnormal'', Levy states "I'm a former libertarian who now sits pretty comfortably on the [[left wing politics|left]]."
Levy has also been described as a "level-headed Trump skeptic" who is "comfortable calling out the president on his numerous mistakes."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Soave |first=Robby |date=2017-08-23 |title=Watch Robby Soave on S.E. Cupp's Brand New Panel Show, Tonight at 7:00 P.M. on HLN |url=https://reason.com/2017/08/23/watch-robby-soave-on-se-cupps-brand-new/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2017, Levy took on his former employer [[Fox News]] and President [[Donald Trump]], saying, "Fox News…have backed themselves into this corner, and now they're the Trump News Network and that's their lifeblood."<ref name=":2" /> He continued, "The press is not supposed to be on the side of people in power ever. The press is supposed to be adversarial, the press is supposed to question, the press is not supposed to curry favor with authority."<ref name=":2" />
Levy has two cats, Pixel and Stormy.<ref>“Men With Cats Pics Less Likely To Get Online Dates.” June 25, 2020. ''The Five.'' via EBSCO, accessed May 27, 2022.</ref><ref name=":10" /> He has never been married.<ref name=":10" /> He has said, "Living your life in public is distasteful to me."<ref name=":10" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2641824/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Andrew Levy] at IMDb *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080922221433/http://crankyinsomniac.blogspot.com/ The Cranky Insomniac Blog] *[https://video.foxnews.com/playlist/andy-levy/ Andy Levy Fox News Personality Playlist]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Andrew}} [[Category:1966 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Long Island]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]] [[Category:Columbia College, Columbia University alumni]] [[Category:St. Anthony Hall]] [[Category:Fox News people]]