Steven Joel Kerzner

Last updated
Steven Joel Kerzner
Born (1970-08-25) August 25, 1970 (age 54)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Other namesEd the Sock
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, television personality
Years active1987–present
Known for Ed the Sock
Spouse
Liana Kerzner
(m. 1999)
[1]

Steven Joel Kerzner is a Canadian actor, producer, television and radio personality best known for his portrayal of Ed the Sock, originally appearing on CityTV and MuchMusic (until its decline in 2013). Kernzer has continued to portray the character through his own media initiatives FU Network and NewMusicNation. [2]

Contents

Since 2023, Kerzner has hosted The All Night Show with Ed the Sock, a nightly live overnight show on Durham Radio 94.9 The Rock. [3]

Career

As a teenager in 1984 Kerzner began volunteering through a student co-op program at Newton Cable, a small local station in Downsview, Ontario. It was at the station that Kernzer developed the Ed the Sock character. Requiring a co-host on short notice, so Kerzner took a sock and other supplies from the station's craft closet and made a sock puppet with glue caps for eyes. He named the puppet Ed after Ed Asner and co-hosted the segment himself. [4] By 1987 Kerzner became a producer and director of programming. [5]

Kerzner later moved the character to CityTV [6] and MuchMusic. [7]

Following the decline of MuchMusic in 2013, due to an acquisition by Bell Media, Kerzner has made a number of attempts to bring the character back through the use of online media. In 2016, he announced the FU Network and in 2021 created the NewMusicNation brand, raising funds for creating an online version of what MuchMusic used to be like. [7]

Radio

Kerzner has hosted The All Night Show with Ed the Sock overnight five times a week on 94.9 The Rock (Oshawa, Ontario) since 2023. He also co-hosts Ed & Red weekly on CKNT 960 AM Mississauga with Liana Kerzner, since 2020. From 2008 to 2010, they hosted a call-in show, Steven & Liana, Sunday nights on CFRB. [8] [9] In 2022, he teamed with Rick the Temp for a series of regular appearances on Z103.5's morning show. [10]

Filmography

TV

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987-1994The Late Late ShowEd the SockCommunity access cable, producer and co-host
1995-2008 Ed's Night Party (later Ed and Red's Night Party)Ed the Sockproducer and host
1997-2013 Fromage Ed the Sockwriter and host
1996The Best of Ed's Night PartyEd the Sockproducer and co-host
1998 First Time Out director
2000Ed's Big Wham Bam Ed the Sockproducer and co-host
2000 Royal Canadian Air Farce Ed the Sockguest
2001SpacebarEd the Sockguest
2005-2008Ed's Nite InEd the Sockproducer and co-host
2006 The Morgan Waters Show Ed the Sockguest
2010 This Movie Sucks! Ed the Sockproducer and co-host
2012-2013 George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight Ed the Sockpanelist
2012 I Hate Hollywood Ed the Sockproducer and co-host
2013 Video on Trial Ed the Sockpanelist

Film

Kerzner appeared as Ed the Sock in the 2018 film The Joke Thief .

Politics

Kerzner ran in the 1990 Ontario general election in the riding of Wilson Heights for Mike Harris' Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, but finished third to the Liberal and NDP candidates.

Results of 1990 Ontario provincial election for the riding of Wilson Heights: [11]

1990 Ontario general election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Liberal Monte Kwinter 12,27244.4
New Democratic John Fagan9,61834.8
Progressive Conservative Steven Joel Kerzner4,91317.7
Other9223.3
Total votes27,725100.0

In his youth Kerzner was a fiscal and foreign-policy conservative, and his political heroes were Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Harris and Brian Mulroney. Since the mid-2000s he has offered more left-of center views, stating in a 2009 interview that he is "no longer a conservative". [12] In recent years, he has vigorously defended Liberal Justin Trudeau, particularly in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin scandal. [13]

In a 2012 interview in which he spoke in favor of the legalization of marijuana, Kerzner stated that the war on drugs was an impossible mistake and said vices such as liquor, gambling and smoking are only taxed because "they make us feel good". [14]

Personal life

Kerzner married Liana Kerzner in 1999. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Zekas, Rita (April 4, 2009). "Sock it to me! At home with Ed The Sock's creator". The Toronto Star.
  2. "Ed the Sock (A.k.a. Steven Kerzner) wants to bring MuchMusic back with NewMusicNation - National | Globalnews.ca".
  3. Thiessen, Connie (May 16, 2023). "Ed the Sock revives overnight radio format in the GTA". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  4. "How North York are you?". North York Post. March 1, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  5. The rough life of Ed the Sock Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine TV GUIDE, 2010-06-03 (Article by Janine Oliveira)
  6. The Lonely Geek. "Ed the Sock - Episode Guide (for reruns in New Zealand)". lonely.geek.nz. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Ed the Sock (a.k.a. Steven Kerzner) wants to bring MuchMusic back with NewMusicNation". Global News.
  8. Zekas, Rita (April 4, 2009). "Sock it to me! At home with Ed The Sock's creator". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  9. Grignon, Denis (July 7, 2023). "How radio reinvigorated the former TV host known as Ed the Sock". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  10. "94.9 The Rock's Doug Elliott and Steven J. Kerzner on taking radio back to its roots". Broadcast Dialogue. July 26, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  11. "1990 Ontario Election Results: Wilson Heights Riding". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  12. Sock it to me! At home with Ed The Sock's creator The Toronto Star, April 4, 2009 (Article by Rita Zekas)
  13. "Ed the Sock Weighs in on the SNC-Lavalin Scandal".
  14. Jenkins, Anthony (December 21, 2012). "Radio host Ed the Sock on decriminalizing marijuana". Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 11, 2019.