Steve Hofstetter

Steve Hofstetter (born September 11, 1979) is a comedian and television personality. His YouTube channel currently has over 45 million views.^[1] He is the host of Finding Babe Ruth on FS1^[2] and was the host and executive producer of "Laughs" on Fox television stations.^[3]

As a radio personality, he hosted Four Quotas, which aired twice per week on Sirius Satellite Radio,^[4] 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.^[5]

Hofstetter has written for outfits like Maxim, ESPN and Sports Illustrated for Kids. He was a weekly columnist for Sports Illustrated,^[6] where his "Stand Up Guy" ran every Monday morning in Scorecard.

Hofstetter has made a number of television appearances, including ESPN's Quite Frankly,^[7] Showtime's White Boyz in the Hood,^[8] VH1's Countdown, ABC's Barbara Walters Special,^[9] and, most notably, CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.^[10] 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.^[11]

Personal life

Hofstetter grew up in the New York City borough of Queens, living at various times in Briarwood, Forest Hills and Rego Park.^[12]

Hofstetter graduated from Hunter College High School in 1997 and the School of General Studies at Columbia University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.^[13] At Columbia, he wrote for the Columbia Spectator^[14] and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.^[15]

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.^[16]

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, with Hoftstetter taking the brunt of the criticism.^[17]

In December 2014, FOX Television announced a 20-episode extension of the series, bringing the total first season run to 39 episodes.^[18]

"The Heckler Destroyer"

Hofstetter earned a reputation for lashing out at hecklers,^[19] with several of his anti-heckler YouTube clips reaching over one million views. Hofstetter credits the popularity to justice. Hofstetter 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."^[20]

Sports and comedy

Though a comedian by trade, Hofstetter is also a sports writer. He currently serves as the Senior Comedy Correspondent for FOX Sports' "Just a Bit Outside".^[21]

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.^[22]

Hofstetter has also written for Maxim,^[23] ESPN Magazine's "The Jump,"^[24] 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.^[25]

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.^[26]

Hofstetter is believed to be the first comedian to try the new model, and early returns reaffirm Radiohead's success.^[27]

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 movie debuted, and was universally panned. Several movie reviewers discussed Hofstetter's album, including the Orlando Sentinel's Roger Moore.^[28] Moore's review was picked up by dozens of papers across the country, including the Chicago Tribune,^[29] Denver Post,^[30] and Columbus Dispatch.^[31] Hofstetter did countless radio interviews about the album, including one with Philadelphia's popular Kidd Chris show, where Hofstetter spoke with Larry the Cable Guy's alter ego, Dan Whitney. Whitney ended the interview with his popular 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?"^[32]

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.^[33]

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)

CD 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

External links

• Official website
• Sports Illustrated archive
• Writer page on CollegeHumor.com
• Razor & Tie artist page