Greg Fitzsimmons

{{Short description|American comedian and writer (1966)}} {{BLP sources|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox comedian | name = Greg Fitzsimmons | image = GregStandup.jpg | caption = Fitzsimmons performing stand-up comedy | pseudonym = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|4|5}} | birth_name = Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons | birth_place = New York, New York, U.S. | medium = Stand-up, television | years_active = 1988–present | genre = Stand-up comedy | subject = observational comedy  | website = {{URL|http://www.gregfitzsimmons.com}} }}

'''Gregory Sebastian Fitzsimmons''' (born April 5, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, and Emmy Award–winning television writer.

==Early life== Fitzsimmons was raised in Tarrytown, New York to Bob (1939–1993) and Patricia Marie Judith ({{nee}} McCarthy) Fitzsimmons. Greg's father was a New York City radio and television personality who was one of the original presenters of ''Good Day New York'' and was a host of the ''Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon'' from 1973 to 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1993-06-04 |title=Bob Fitzsimmons, Personality on TV And the Radio, 53 (Published 1993) |language=en |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/04/obituaries/bob-fitzsimmons-personality-on-tv-and-the-radio-53.html |access-date=2023-08-16}}</ref>

Greg began his stand-up comedy career while attending Boston University, where he earned his undergraduate degree and was part of comedy troupe Uncontrolled Substance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emmy-winning Comic Greg Fitzsimmons Returns to Alma Mater {{!}} General Studies |url=https://www.bu.edu/cgs/2009/01/16/greg-fitzsimmons/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=www.bu.edu}}</ref>

==Career==

Fitzsimmons made his late-night debut in 1996 on the ''Late Show with David Letterman''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greg Fitzsimmons {{!}} Writer, Producer, Actor |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280624/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> That same year he began hosting MTV's ''Idiot Savants'' which received a CableACE Award for Best Game Show Special or Series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greg Fitzsimmons {{!}} Comedians |url=https://thestandnyc.com/comedians/greg-fitzsimmons |access-date=2023-08-16 |publisher=The Stand Restaurant & Comedy Club}}</ref>

Fitzsimmons served as a writer on the first three seasons of ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' for which he received one nomination and four Daytime Emmy Awards. In a 2010 interview with Howard Stern, he described the work environment as "toxic."<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Greg Fitzsimmons talks about Ellen show situation 1-14-10 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsU04y8qt00 |work=YouTube |access-date=2023-08-16}}</ref> A decade later these allegations were substantiated in an exposé by Buzzfeed News citing the experiences of ten former employees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yandoli |first=Krystie Lee |date=2020-07-17 |title=Former Employees Say Ellen's "Be Kind" Talk Show Mantra Masks A Toxic Work Culture |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krystieyandoli/ellen-employees-allege-toxic-workplace-culture |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=BuzzFeed News}}</ref>

From 2004 to 2009 Fitzsimmons was a regular commentator on Vh1's ''Best Week Ever'' and from 2010 to 2014 he made over 40 appearances on ''Chelsea Lately''.

Fitzsimmons was a frequent guest on ''The Howard Stern Show'' throughout the late nineties and early 2000s. He was a finalist to replace Jackie Martling after Martling's departure, a position that ultimately went to Artie Lange. In 2006, he began hosting ''The Greg Fitzsimmons Show'' on SiriusXM's Howard 101. There were several memorable moments over the course of the series including his interview with Andy Dick that resulted in Dick being banned from the channel over antisemitic comments toward Stern in 2011. The final episode of ''The Greg Fitzsimmons Show'' aired in 2018.

Fitzsimmons has toured the United States as a stand-up comedian and has performed on such programs as ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' and ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''.

In 2013, his one-hour special "Life on Stage" premiered on Comedy Central.

Fitzsimmons hosts a comedy podcast Fitzdog Radio. The show features interviews with celebrities, musical guests and comedians. Listener call-ins are encouraged throughout the show. Guests have included Zach Galifianakis, Leslie Jones, Whitney Cummings and Judd Apatow. As of August 2023, the series has aired over 1,000 episodes. He also hosts ''Sunday Papers'' with sidekick/producer Mike Gibbons (aka "Gibby") and ''Childish''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/childish/id1440327855|title=Childish Podcast|website=iTunes |date=December 22, 2018}}</ref> with comedian Alison Rosen.

==Writing== Fitzsimmons began his writing career on ''Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher''. From 2003 to 2005, he was a writer and producer on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''<ref>{{IMDb title|0379623|Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003)}}</ref> for which he received one nomination and four Daytime Emmy Awards. He has also written for Cedric the Entertainer, ''The Man Show'', ''The Wanda Sykes Show'', ''Lucky Louie'',<ref>{{Citation |title="Lucky Louie" Clown Time Is Over (TV Episode 2007) – IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878482/fullcredits |access-date=2023-08-16}}</ref> and most recently HBO's ''Crashing''.

==Personal life== Greg is married and has two children. He is a cousin of professional golfer Denny McCarthy.

==Filmography== ===Stand-up comedy releases=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Solo albums and TV specials |- ! Title ! Release date ! Debut medium |- | ''Comedy Central Presents: Greg Fitzsimmons'' | December 29, 1998 | Television (Comedy Central) |- | ''Fitz of Laughter'' | 2000 | Audio CD |- | ''Comedy Central Presents: Greg Fitzsimmons 2'' | March 17, 2006 | Television (Comedy Central) |- | ''Life on Stage'' | August 27, 2013 | Television (Comedy Central) |- | ''You Know Me'' | August 27, 2024 | Streaming TV (YouTube) |} {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Collaborative albums and TV specials |- ! Title ! Release date ! Debut medium |- | ''Bob & Tom: Fun House'' | August 1997 | Audio CD |- | ''The World Comedy Tour: Melbourne 2001'' | 2001 | Television (The Comedy Channel) |- | ''The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Chevy Chase'' | December 1, 2002 | Television (Comedy Central) |- | ''Just For Laughs: Volume 5 – Over the Edge'' | August 18, 2009 | DVD Video |}

===Television and film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Performances in television and film |- !scope="col"| Year !scope="col"| Title !scope="col"| Role !scope="col" class="unsortable" |Notes |- !scope="row"| 1999 | Doing Time | | Unaired pilot written by Dave Attell |- !scope="row"| 2002 | The Andy Dick Show | Brother | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2003 | The Gynecologists | Chick | Short film by Adam Dubin |- !scope="row"| 2004 | The Man Show | Frozen Ted Williams | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2008 | CSI Crime Scene Investigation | | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2011 | Division III: Football's Finest | Jerry | |- !scope="row"| 2014 | Louie | Greg | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2015 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | Randy (voice) | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Mailman | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2017 | Santa Clarita Diet | Sheriff's Deputy | 1 episode |- !scope="row"| 2018–2019 | Crashing | Greg Fitzsimmons | 2 episodes |- |}

=== As himself === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Non-acting television and film credits !Year !Title !Credited as !Notes |- ! 1996–1997 | Idiot Savants | Host | |- ! 1997 | Make Me Laugh | Self | |- ! 1997–2006 | Just For Laughs | Self | 3 episodes |- ! 1997 | Premium Blend | Self | 1 episode |- ! 1998 | Inside Jokes | Self | |- ! 2001 | The Test with Jillian Barberie | Panelist | 1 episode |- ! 2001 | Late Friday with Joe Rogan | Self | 2 episodes |- ! 2002 | Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn | Panelist | 1 episode |- ! 2002 | I Love the '80s | Self | |- ! 2003 | I Love the '70s | Self | |- ! 2003 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2004 | I Love the '90s | Self | |- ! 2005 | I Love the '90s | Self | |- ! 2005 | I Love the '80s | Self | 3 episodes |- ! 2005 | I Love the Holidays | Self | |- ! 2005 | 23rd AVN Awards | Host | |- ! 2006 | I Love Toys | Self | |- ! 2006 | I Love the '70s | Self | 4 episodes |- ! 2007 | Porky's: A Comedy Classic | Self | Short film with Dante |- ! 2007 | What I Learned About... From the Movies | Self | |- ! 2007 | Heckler | Self | Documentary film |- ! 2007 | Rock Band Cometh: The Rock Band Band Story | Self | Documentary film |- ! 2008 | History of the Joke | Self | Documentary film |- ! 2008 | Here Come the Newlyweds | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2008 | 25th AVN Awards | Host | |- ! 2008 | I Love the New Millennium | Self | 3 episodes |- ! 2008 | Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2009 | Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry | Self | Documentary film |- ! 2010 | John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show | Self | 2 episodes |- ! 2010 | The Wanda Sykes Show | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2010 | A Night of 140 Tweets: A Celebrity Tweet-A-Thon for Haiti | Self | Web special by Red Hour Productions and Funny or Die |- ! 2010–2014 | Chelsea Lately | Panelist | 41 episodes |- ! 2011 | Pumped! | Host | 19 episodes |- ! 2011 | Dave's Old Porn | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2011 | AM Northwest | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2012 | Un-Cabaret | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2014 | Upload with Shaquille O'Neal | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2014–2015 | How To Be A Grown Up with Tom Segura | Self | 11 episodes |- ! 2016 | This Is Not Happening | Self | 1 episode |- ! 2019–2020 | Lights Out with David Spade | Panelist | 6 episodes |}

==Books== *{{cite book|title=Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption from an Irish Mailbox|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York|year=2010|isbn=978-1-43918-26-9-7|author=Greg Fitzsimmons.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/dearmrsfitzsimmo00fitz}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.gregfitzsimmons.com/ Official site] *{{Twitter}} *{{IMDb name|id=0280624|name=Greg Fitzsimmons}} ;News articles and interviews *{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311005249/http://onetrickpony.ws/greg_fitzsimmons2 |date=March 11, 2007 |title=Interview from October 27, 2006 }} *{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807144002/http://onetrickpony.ws/greg_fitzsimmons |date=August 7, 2007 |title=Interview from September 2005 }} *{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928063229/http://www.wickedinfo.com/content/view/79/61/ |date=September 28, 2007 |title=Interview from February 2007 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimmons, Greg}} Category:1966 births Category:20th-century American comedians Category:21st-century American comedians Category:American male comedians Category:American comedy podcasters Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American game show hosts Category:Television producers from New York City Category:American television writers Category:Boston University alumni Category:Comedians from New York City Category:Living people Category:American male television writers Category:Screenwriters from New York (state) Category:American people of Irish descent