Daniel Tosh

Daniel Dwight Tosh (born May 29, 1975)[3] is an American comedian, writer, and producer. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a degree in marketing, Tosh moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. His career accelerated in 2001 after a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He would go on to appear in other national shows, leading to his own 30-minute special on Comedy Central Presents two years later. From 2009 to 2020, Tosh was the host of Comedy Central series Tosh.0, a showcase of popular Internet video clips with the addition of Tosh's narrative comedic dialogue. Daniel Tosh also went on his own series of comedy tours from 2010 to 2015.

Daniel Tosh
Tosh in 2013
Birth nameDaniel Dwight Tosh[1]
Born (1975-05-29) May 29, 1975
Boppard, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany[2]
Medium
Alma materUniversity of Central Florida (BS)
Years active1997–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Spouse
Carly Hallam
​
(m. 2016)​
Notable works and rolesTosh.0, Brickleberry
Websitewww.danieltosh.com

In addition to Tosh.0, he is known for his deliberately offensive and controversial style of black comedy and as the star of stand-up comedy tours and specials.[4]

Early life

Born in Boppard, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany to American parents,[5] Tosh grew up in Titusville, Florida, the son of a Presbyterian minister. After graduating from Astronaut High School in 1993, Tosh attended the University of Central Florida, graduating in December 1996 with a degree in marketing.[6]

Among his first jobs was a telemarketer at Central Florida Research Park. He said later,

Hey, $15 an hour to annoy people! I really was not preparing myself for the future at all. I had interviews lined up. I sat through one real interview and I was like, 'I wouldn't hire me.' I left halfway through the orientation. That's the closest thing I ever got to a real job.[7]

Tosh moved to Los Angeles, but attributes his decision to work in comedy to being raised in Florida, which he considers "flat, hot, and dumb."[8]

Career

Tosh started touring the comedy club circuit almost immediately after graduating from college. He appeared as one of the "New Faces" at the 1998 Just for Laughs in Montreal. His act was televised in 2000 in Montreal at the Théâtre Saint-Denis.[9]

Tosh's career break came in 2001 with a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He made appearances on programs such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Comedy Central's Premium Blend.[10] He hosted a local late-night comedy show in Florida called Tens,[11][12] and served as a spokesman in Taco Bell commercials.[13]

Tosh has been a regular guest on radio shows such as The Bob & Tom Show, Loveline, and Kevin and Bean. In 2003, he performed in his own 30-minute special on Comedy Central Presents. On June 17, 2007, Comedy Central aired his stand-up special: Daniel Tosh: Completely Serious. He hosted an episode of Comedy Central's Live at Gotham.

Tosh appeared in an episode of MTV's Punk'd as a criminal who broke into Mekhi Phifer's car.[14] He played a fictional version of himself on "Elevator" produced by HBO's Runawaybox[15] and had a small role as Cowboy Hat in the feature film The Love Guru starring Mike Myers. Of his own acting ability, Tosh says, "I'm not a good actor. I can play myself, and a much gayer version of myself. That's about my range."[16]

Tosh said he planned to end his career on his 38th birthday, May 29, 2013, if he had not by that time succeeded as a comedian. He said he would do this by committing suicide or retiring to the beach.[17][18] He kept a countdown clock on his website that gave the number of days, minutes, and seconds until his 38th birthday which is when "Daniel's Groundhog Day Ends," a reference to the Bill Murray film. Tosh has described a comic's routine life on the road as "Groundhog Day".[18]

His special, Daniel Tosh: Happy Thoughts, premiered on Comedy Central on March 6, 2011, with 3.25 million viewers and a 1.9/5 share.[19] It was later released on DVD.

Tosh was an executive producer of, and the voice of "Malloy" in, the Comedy Central animated sitcom Brickleberry. The show was cancelled after three seasons on January 7, 2015.[20]

In 2012, Tosh was criticized for an interaction with a female audience member during a set at a Hollywood comedy club. After telling a series of jokes about rape, an audience member remarked that "rape jokes are never funny". Tosh responded by saying it would be funny if the audience member herself were raped by multiple men.[21] The exchange prompted a lengthy debate over the appropriateness of jokes about rape.[22][23] Tosh later apologized for the joke.[24]

In 2013, Forbes estimated Tosh's net worth at $11 million, tied for ninth place in its list of all top-earning comedians whose income is primarily from stage ticket sales.[25]

Tosh.0
Main article: Tosh.0

Tosh's Comedy Central television show Tosh.0 premiered on June 5, 2009, based on showcasing Internet video clips.[26] His mocking humor is described as "envelope pushing" and frequently features punchlines that are intentionally self-deprecating, racist, sexist, or homophobic. Tosh's explanation of his non-politically correct humor is "I'm not a misogynistic and racist person...But I do find those jokes funny, so I say them."[27]

Personal life

Tosh has one brother and two sisters.[28] Tosh has stated that he has social anxiety and that he has disfavored public speaking.[29][30] He married writer Carly Hallam on April 15, 2016 at a private ceremony in Malibu, California.[31]

Philanthropy

Tosh has participated in a show for the family of deceased comedian Greg Giraldo and for Alabama disaster relief.[32][33]

He has hosted an annual stand-up show called "Tosh Saves The World" which has featured comedians such as Bo Burnham, Chelsea Peretti, Hannibal Buress and Kumail Nanjiani, with the proceeds going to various charities.[34]

Reception

In 2011, Forbes reported that Tosh's 60-date nationwide stand-up tour was sold out.[16] In 2014, he performed sold out shows at an average ticket price at $161.94, according to Forbes.[35][36]

Discography

Tours
  • "Tosh Tour Twenty Ten" (2010)
  • "Tosh Tour On Ice" (2011)
  • "Tosh Tour Twenty Twelve" (2012)
  • "Tosh Tour June Gloom" (2013)
  • "The Great Nor'easter Tour" (2015)
  • "Florida Trash" (2022)

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1998Sins of the CityDJ Dog ManEpisode: "Rave On"
2003Comedy Central PresentsHimselfStand-up Special
2004Punk'dCriminalEpisode: "3.6"
2007Daniel Tosh: Completely SeriousHimselfStand-up Special
2008The Love GuruCowboy Hat
Live at GothamHimself (host)Episode: "3.8"
The Life & Times of TimTheo (voice)Episode: "Theo Strikes Back/Amy Gets Wasted"
2009–2020Tosh.0Himself (host)Also co-creator, writer, executive producer
2011Daniel Tosh: Happy ThoughtsHimselfStand-up Special
Dave's Old PornHimselfEpisode: "1.3"
2012–2015BrickleberryMalloy (voice)36 episodes; also executive producer
2016Daniel Tosh: People PleaserHimselfStand-up Special
2020Paradise PDMalloy (voice)Episode: "Paradise PD Meets Brickleberry"

References
  1. Loveline, November 5, 2009
  2. "Daniel Tosh Interview". Independent.com. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  3. "Happy Birthday, Daniel Tosh!". Tosh.0 Blog. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  4. "Daniel Tosh". Dead-Frog. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  5. Daniel Tosh. "Enlightened Garbage." Comedy Central Records, 2005.
  6. UCF Staff (April 6, 2011). "Comedian Daniel Tosh Spotted at UCF". UCF Today. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  7. "Daniel Tosh: From Lake Claire to Comedy Central". Central Florida Future. November 8, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  8. "Daniel Tosh of Tosh.O Touring This Way". The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  9. "Daniel Tosh Interview". Santa Barbara Independent. April 10, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  10. Cuneo, Jessamyn (January 2007). "Over The Edge With Daniel Tosh". American Superstar Magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  11. "The Legend of WAMI-TV". Ke4qpf.com. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  12. WAMI-DT
  13. "This Week's Day-by-Day Picks". Houston Press. March 27, 2003. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  14. "Punk'd Season 3 Episode 6". MTV. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  15. Daniel Tosh Elevator – YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  16. Rose, Lacey (January 5, 2011). "Tosh.0's Daniel Tosh Pushes The Envelope... Further". Forbes. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  17. John Wenzel (February 20, 2009). "Daniel Tosh's jokes sneak up on you while you're already laughing". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  18. Delfin Vigil (August 26, 2007). "At The Top of His Stand-up Game". sfgate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  19. Kissell, Rick (March 9, 2011). "'Idol' powers weekly Fox rout". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  20. Elizabeth Wagmeister (January 7, 2015). "'Brickleberry' Cancelled By Comedy Central After Three Seasons". Variety.
  21. Gibson, Caitlin (August 18, 2016). "Yes, you can tell a feminist rape joke. This website just showed us how". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  22. Bassist, Elisa (July 11, 2012). "Why Daniel Tosh's 'Rape Joke' at the Laugh Factory Wasn't Funny". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  23. Romano, Aja (July 5, 2018). "Why Hannah Gadsby's searing comedy special Nanette has upended comedy for good". Vox.com. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  24. Zinoman, Jason (July 17, 2012). "Toe-to-Toe at the edge of the Comedy Club Stage". New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  25. "The Top-Earning Comedians of 2013". Forbes. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  26. Frankel, Daniel (March 5, 2009). "Push for Tosh at Comedy Central". Variety.com. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  27. "Daniel Tosh at TCA: 'I'm not sexist or racist, I just like the jokes'". ew.com.
  28. "Biography". DanielTosh.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  29. Kevin and Bean Archived June 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, January 11, 2011
  30. Gadino, Dylan (November 7, 2005). "Daniel Tosh: Life in the Tosh Pit". Punchline Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2011. I've always had a social anxiety. I'm not a huge fan of speaking in front of people..
  31. Guglielmi, Jodi (June 28, 2018). "Daniel Tosh Quietly Married Tosh.0 Writer Carly Hallam: Report". People. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  32. Zimbio, Daniel Tosh Joins perform Raise Money for Greg Giraldo's Family, July 3, 2011.
  33. k.e. (May 19, 2011). "Daniel Tosh on Alabama Tornado Disaster: God Hates Nick Saban!". The Hollywood Gossip.
  34. "Portland Monthly Mag", Tosh Saves the World Comedy Show Archived October 30, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, November 2012
  35. Lawrence, Jesse (June 17, 2014). "Dave Chappelle Tickets For NYC Run Second Most Expensive Comedy Tour Of 2014". Forbes. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  36. Weber, Carly (January 21, 2014). "REVIEW: Tosh talks back". Hoopla. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
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