American comedian
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 (née 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.[1]
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.[2]
Career
Fitzsimmons made his late-night debut in 1996 on the Late Show with David Letterman.[3] That same year he began hosting MTV's Idiot Savants which received a CableACE Award for Best Game Show Special or Series.[4]
Greg 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, Fitzsimmons described the work environment as "toxic."[5] A decade later these allegations would be substantiated in an exposé by Buzzfeed News citing the experiences of ten former employees.[6]
From 2004 to 2009 Greg 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, Greg began hosting The Greg Fitzsimmons Show on SiriusXM's Howard 101. There were several memorable moments over the course of the series including Greg's 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[7] 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[8] 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, [9] and most recently HBO's Crashing.
Personal life
Greg is married and has two children. He is a cousin of professional golfer Denny McCarthy.
