Adam Conover

Last updated

Adam Conover
AdamConover.png
Adam Conover in 2020
Born1982or1983(age 41–42)
Education Shoreham-Wading River High School
Alma mater Bard College (BA)
Occupation(s)Comedian, Writer, and Show Host
Years active2012–present
Known for Adam Ruins Everything
BoJack Horseman
Board member of Writers Guild of America West (2021–)
Partner Lisa Hanawalt
Website adamconover.net

Adam Conover (born 1982or1983 [1] ) is an American actor, writer and comedian. He created and hosted the half-hour truTV show Adam Ruins Everything , based on the CollegeHumor series of the same name. [2] He was also the host of the American version of The Crystal Maze on Nickelodeon. In 2022, Conover's limited series The G Word with Adam Conover debuted on Netflix. [3] Conover currently serves on the board of the Writers Guild of America West. [4]

Contents

Early life

Members of the sketch comedy group Olde English. From left to right: Ben Popik, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, David Segal, Caleb Bark, and Adam Conover Olde english comedy.png
Members of the sketch comedy group Olde English. From left to right: Ben Popik, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, David Segal, Caleb Bark, and Adam Conover

Adam Conover was born in Smithtown, New York, [5] and grew up in nearby Wading River, on the North Shore of Long Island. [6] His parents are David O. Conover, a marine biologist, [7] and Margaret Conover (née Howard), a botanist. [5] [6] [7] His younger sister, Emily Conover, is a science reporter who holds a PhD in particle physics. [8] Conover has described himself as "the only member of the family without a Ph.D." [9]

In 2000, he graduated from Shoreham-Wading River High School, where he became interested in the performing arts. As a teenager, he was part of a band called Bocoach. [10] He then attended Bard College, where, in 2002, he became an active member of the sketch comedy group Olde English. [11] In 2004, [12] he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Bard College. [6]

Career

Adam Conover in 2015 Adam Conover photograph.jpg
Adam Conover in 2015

In 2012, Conover began working as a sketch comedy writer and performer for the comedy website and YouTube channel CollegeHumor, where he eventually created the web series that would go on to become Adam Ruins Everything on TruTV. [6] The first episode of the TruTV show, which aims to reveal untold truths and to dispel common misconceptions, [13] premiered on September 29, 2015. Conover has said his character in the show is a comedic interpretation of the person he worries he once was and/or is. As he told The New York Observer , "It’s the reaction I’ve gotten my whole life: that I learn something and try to tell people in conversation, but when I tell them, they are annoyed." [14]

Adam Conover at the CSICon in 2018 Adam Conover CSICon 2018 Adam Ruins Skepticism- On the Virtues of Not Knowing.jpg
Adam Conover at the CSICon in 2018

In March 2016, he was asked to speak at a marketing conference on the subject of millennials; the talk he gave was entitled "Millennials Don't Exist". [15] In 2018, Conover was the headliner of the first night of the annual CSICon conference for skeptics. [16] On August 17, 2018, Conover was a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher . [17] On April 17, 2019, Conover was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience . [18]

He has voiced several characters in the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman , including A Ryan Seacrest Type, one of the Paparazzi Birds, and Bradley Hitler-Smith. [6] [19] In 2019, he voiced the character of "Big_Hairy_Stallion_69" on the Netflix series Tuca & Bertie , and created the new Earwolf podcast Factually! [20] [21]

Since 2020, Conover has also acted as the host of an American adaptation of the family game show The Crystal Maze for Nickelodeon. [22]

In November 2020, Conover had a cameo appearance as his character from Adam Ruins Everything in The Eric Andre Show . His character appeared in the show's opening sequence before being beaten to death. [23] [24] [25]

In December 2020, Conover announced that Adam Ruins Everything was no longer in production and that he was planning a new Netflix series about the federal government called The G Word with Adam Conover . The show premiered on Netflix on May 19, 2022. [26]

Conover at a picket line during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike WGA Strike rally (1) (52992451735).jpg
Conover at a picket line during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike

Conover serves on the board of the Writers Guild of America West, [4] and sits on the 2023 WGA contract negotiating committee. [27] On May 1, 2023 the WGA contract negotiating committee failed to reach a satisfactory agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the major film and television studios of Hollywood, triggering a strike. [28]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014–2019 BoJack Horseman A Ryan Seacrest Type, Bradley Hitler-Smith and Paparazzi Blue Jay
2015–2019 Adam Ruins Everything Self
2015-2022 Um, Actually Self4 episodes
2019WTF 101Doctor Gamma CollegeHumor original programming
2019–2021 Tuca & Bertie Joel
2020 The Eric Andre Show Self"Is Your Wife Still Depressed?"
2022 The G Word with Adam Conover Self
2023 Game Changer SelfGame Changer: Battle Royale
2024Dropout PresentsSelfStandup Special

Personal life

Conover was once a roommate of BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg in New York City, who also introduced him to his girlfriend, illustrator Lisa Hanawalt. [29] Conover quit drinking in early 2018. [30]

Activism

In 2020, Conover has been an outspoken supporter of Nithya Raman, who challenged and beat David Ryu for the Los Angeles City Council. As an activist for Housing First policies, Conover performed stand-up to fundraise for the campaign and canvassed in support of Raman. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Buxton</span> English actor and comedian (born 1969)

Adam Offord Buxton is an English actor, comedian, podcaster and writer. With the filmmaker Joe Cornish, he is part of the comedy duo Adam and Joe. They presented the Channel 4 television series The Adam and Joe Show (1996–2001) and the BBC Radio 6 Music series Adam and Joe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Sedaris</span> American actress, comedian, and writer (born 1961)

Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both The Mandalorian (2019–2023) and The Book of Boba Fett (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series Strangers with Candy (1999–2000) and the prequel film Strangers with Candy (2005), which she also wrote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CollegeHumor</span> American Internet comedy company

CH Media, doing business as Dropout, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles which produces content for release on its streaming service, Dropout, and on YouTube. It was originally founded as the CollegeHumor website, created by Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen in 1999, and was owned by InterActiveCorp (IAC) from 2006 until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the website shut down. The current CEO of CH Media is Sam Reich, a veteran performer and former Chief Creative Officer of CollegeHumor, who purchased the company in 2020 from IAC. In September 2023, the company formally dropped the CollegeHumor branding in favor of its Dropout branding, which originated with its streaming service.

Benjamin Jacob Fogelnest, known professionally as Jake Fogelnest, is an Emmy and WGA Award nominated writer, comedian, former radio personality, and satirist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Klausner</span> American writer

Julie Klausner is an American writer, comedian, actress, and podcaster. She is best known for creating, writing, and starring in the Hulu sitcom Difficult People (2015–2017), which also starred comedian Billy Eichner.

Liz Feldman is an American comedian, actress, producer and writer. She is best known as the creator and executive producer of the Netflix dark comedy series Dead to Me. She also created One Big Happy and has written for 2 Broke Girls, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Blue Collar TV.

<i>Attitudes!</i> Comedy podcast and TV show

Attitudes! is a weekly comedy podcast based on discussions of women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, progressive politics and pop culture. The podcast is hosted by ("Feminasty") Erin Gibson and ("Homosensual") Bryan Safi. Gibson and Safi's comedic repartee frequently features adult topics and addresses social, cultural, and political issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphael Bob-Waksberg</span> American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and voice actor

Raphael Matthew Bob-Waksberg is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and voice actor. He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the Netflix animated comedy series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), for which he received four Critics' Choice Television Awards and was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul W. Downs</span> American actor, writer, and director

Paul W. Downs is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is the co-creator, co-showrunner and one of the stars of the critically acclaimed HBO Max series Hacks, for which he has received a Golden Globe, Peabody Award, and three Primetime Emmy Awards, among others. Downs first gained attention for his role in the Comedy Central series Broad City, which ran for five seasons and for which he was also a writer, director and executive producer.

Adam Ruins Everything is an American educational comedy television series starring Adam Conover that ran from 2015 through 2019 on TruTV. The series endeavors to debunk common misconceptions held by the public on a variety of topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Hanawalt</span> American illustrator and TV producer (born 1983)

Lisa Hanawalt is an American illustrator, writer, and cartoonist. She has published comic series, as well as three books of illustrations. She worked as the production designer and a producer of the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), and co-hosted the podcast Baby Geniuses (2012–2024) with comedian Emily Heller. She created and executive produced the Netflix/Adult Swim animated series, Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Reich</span> American media executive and comedian (born 1984)

Samuel Dalton Reich is an American media executive, writer, producer, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his work with Dropout, of which he is now the CEO, including hosting the series Game Changer and its spin-off Make Some Noise, as well as his work on TruTV's Adam Ruins Everything.

Brian Kevin Patrick Murphy is an American actor, producer, and writer. He is best known for his various roles in CollegeHumor videos, his role as Murph on truTV comedy original Adam Ruins Everything, and his role on the Pop original Hot Date, co-starring with his wife Emily Axford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Axford</span> American actress, writer and producer

Emily Joanne Axford is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is best known for her various roles in CollegeHumor videos, her role as Emily on the truTV comedy Adam Ruins Everything, and for her role on the Pop original Hot Date, co-starring her husband, Brian K. Murphy.

<i>The Fifth Risk</i> 2018 non-fiction book by Michael Lewis

The Fifth Risk is a 2018 non-fiction book by Michael Lewis that examines the transition and political appointments of the Donald Trump presidency, especially with respect to three government agencies: the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce. The book spent fourteen weeks on The New York Times non-fiction best-seller list. A lengthy excerpt from the book was published twice by The Guardian, using a quote from a top adviser to Trump in the title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramy Youssef</span> American actor, comedian, director, and writer (born 1991)

Ramy Youssef is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director. He is known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series Ramy (2019–2022), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Peabody Award in 2020. He was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Landry Allbright is an American actress known for working as a child in hit films and television shows. Allbright is best known for playing Bridget Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful (1996–1997).

Emily Conover is an American science journalist, best known for being the only two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers Association's Newsbrief award. As of 2016, she has been a reporter for American bi-weekly magazine Science News.

The Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Comedy/Variety - Sketch Series is an award presented by the Writers Guild of America to the best writing in a comedy/variety sketch series, until 2015, sketch series competed along with comedy/variety talk programs in the category Television: Comedy-Variety Talk Series. In 2016, a separate category was added only for sketch series.

<i>The G Word</i> 2022 comedy and documentary series

The G Word with Adam Conover is a 2022 American documentary comedy show on Netflix created by Adam Conover. The show discusses topics and their connection to the federal government of the United States, with "the g word" referring to 'government.' The show is produced by Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, and his wife, Michelle Obama. Each episode examines a different aspect of the government, loosely based on the book The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis.

References

  1. Condran, Ed (August 18, 2022). "Adam Conover promises not to ruin everything when he performs at the Spokane Comedy Club". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved November 27, 2023. Conover, 39 ...
  2. Lloyd, Robert (September 26, 2015). "TV Picks: 'Late Show,' 'My Brother's Bomber,' 'Adam Ruins Everything'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  3. Chu, Hau (May 19, 2022). "What to watch on Thursday: 'The G Word with Adam Conover' debuts on Netflix" . Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  4. 1 2 @AdamConover (July 24, 2021). "Fellow writers: I'm running for @WGAWest board this year. My candidate statement is linked below, but in this thread I'll explain why I'm running as succinctly as possible. 1) Comedy/Variety 2) Streaming contracts & residuals 3) Organizing for change" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 Barkley, Giselle (September 24, 2015). "North Shore native ready to 'ruin' truTV". The Times Beacon Record. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Lovece, Frank (September 28, 2015). "'Adam Ruins Everything': LI's Adam Conover creates witty truTV humor series". Newsday. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Champagne, Christine (September 29, 2015). "Spoiler Alert: Adam Conover Hilariously Dispels All Your Beliefs To Teach You a Lesson". Fast Company. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  8. Lovece, Frank. "LI's Adam Conover returns for 'Adam Ruins Everything' season 2". Newsday.
  9. Weissmueller, Zach (February 21, 2016). "What You Think You Know Is Wrong". Reason. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  10. Smith, Nicole (October 8, 2015). "Watch as this Shoreham-Wading River grad 'Ruins Everything'". Riverhead News-Review. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  11. Genzlinger, Neil (October 24, 2016). "Adam Conover Turns a Skeptical Eye to the Presidential Campaign". The New York Times.
  12. "The Exquisite Corpse Project". Bard College. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  13. Hendrickson, Paula (June 7, 2017). "TruTV's 'Adam Ruins Everything' Promotes Facts in the Age of Fakery". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  14. Grant, Drew (September 29, 2015). "'Adam Ruins Everything' Creator Adam Conover on Making Difficult Truths Into Comedy". The Observer. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  15. Singer, Sarah (March 21, 2016). "This Comedian Just Obliterated All Stereotypes About Millennials in One Presentation". Mic. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  16. Fidalgo, Paul (2019). "Parasites and modern mind control". Skeptical Inquirer. 43 (2): 15.
  17. "Real Time with Bill Maher | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  18. Conover, Adam (April 18, 2019). "Adding Evidence to the Discussion of Trans Issues on Joe Rogan's podcast". adamconover.net. Adam Conover. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  19. Conover, Adam (May 2, 2017). "Yep! I also play Bradley Hitler-Smith, aka Ethan from Horsin' Around!". @adamconover. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  20. "Adam Conover Is The Voice Of Big_Hairy_Stallion69 (Aka Joel)". Refinery29. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  21. "Introducing My New Podcast, Factually!". Adam Conover: Official Site. Tour dates, Podcasts, Blog. May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  22. Haring, Bruce (December 9, 2019). "'The Crystal Maze' Taps Adam Conover As Host Of New Nickelodeon Family Game Show". Deadline. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  23. "Adam Conover's tweet about his appearance on The Eric Andre Show". Twitter. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020.
  24. "Adam Conover's Instagram post about his appearance, featuring a video of his scene". Instagram.
  25. "Full cast of episode". IMDb.
  26. Conover, Adam (December 1, 2020). "Introducing The G Word (and some Adam Ruins Everything news)". Adam Conover. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  27. "WGA Announces 2023 MBA Negotiating Committee". www.wga.org. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  28. Kilkenny, Katie (May 1, 2023). "Writers Guild Calls First Strike in 15 Years". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  29. Havrilesky, Heather (September 7, 2018). "Don't Look BoJack's Gifted Horse-Lady in the Mouth". The Cut. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  30. Dykes, Brett Michael (April 23, 2018). "Adam Conover Of 'Adam Ruins Everything' Is Loving RSS Feeds Again". Uproxx.
  31. "Comedy for the City: A Fundraiser for Nithya Raman (Twitch Live-stream)". thecomedybureau.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2024.