Pete Holmes
Peter Benedict Holmes (born March 30, 1979) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. Musings on spirituality and religion are frequent themes in his works.
| Pete Holmes | |
|---|---|
Holmes in May 2019 | |
| Birth name | Peter Benedict Holmes |
| Born | March 30, 1979 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film, podcast |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Genres | |
| Spouse | Valerie Chaney (m. 2017) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | PeteHolmes.com |
Holmes gained recognition in the early 2010s as a stand-up comic, during which he launched his long-running podcast You Made It Weird (2011–present), released his first comedy special, and worked as an actor and television writer. Subsequently, he began his own late-night talk show The Pete Holmes Show (2013–2014), which ran on TBS for two seasons in the time-slot after Conan, a frequent champion of his work. During the decade, he released four comedy specials: Impregnated with Wonder (2011), Nice Try, The Devil (2013), Faces and Sounds (2016), and Dirty Clean (2018).
Holmes is most widely known for starring and creating the semi-autobiographical scripted comedy series Crashing, which aired on HBO for three seasons (2017–2019). He has also worked as a voice actor and most recently starred in the 2022 CBS sitcom How We Roll.
Early life Edit
Peter Benedict Holmes was born in Boston on March 30, 1979, the son of a Lithuanian refugee mother and an American father of Irish descent.[1] He has a brother who composes music under the name Dr. Holmes. He grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Lexington High School. Holmes attended Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, where he graduated with a degree in English and Communications in 2001.[2] During this time, he played in a punk rock band and participated in an improvisational comedy troupe called The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen.
Partly at the behest of his mother, he had plans to become a youth pastor. This gave way to public speaking, and his love for comedy won over his need to preach; he now refers to himself as "Christ-leaning" or jokingly a "hooraytheist".[3] Finding little success as a comedian in his home state, he lived in Sleepy Hollow, New York, before moving to Chicago and then Los Angeles.
Career Edit
2001–2009: Early career Edit
Holmes career began in the New York City comedy scene. In the mid-2000s, he was making club appearances and took part in Comedy Central's Premium Blend, as a regular panelist on VH1's Best Week Ever, and on VH1's All Access.[2][4][5] He began working as a touring comic,[4] including on the Christian comedy circuit.[6] Since 2006, his cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker.[7]
Holmes also created and appeared in a Super Bowl XLIII ad for Doritos in 2009 featuring a fictional new flavor of the product, beer, in which each chip contains as much alcohol as a 16 o.z. can of beer.[8]
2010–2013: Breakthrough Edit
Stand-up and You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes Edit
In 2010, he performed on John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show as well as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. On February 26, 2010, he performed his first television special on the series Comedy Central Presents. On March 21, 2011, and on November 17, 2011, he appeared on the TBS talk show Conan.
Holmes released his first album, Impregnated With Wonder, on iTunes on November 15, 2011.[9] In 2013, he released his second album, Nice Try, The Devil.[10]
In 2011, Holmes launched his long-form comedy podcast You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes. It has featured guests such as Garry Shandling, Judd Apatow, Aziz Ansari, John Mulaney, Ben Schwartz, and Dana Carvey. Topics typically discussed in each episode are the guests' views on comedy, sexuality, and religion.
Television and The Pete Holmes Show Edit
Holmes has provided the voices for several of the characters on Comedy Central's cartoon Ugly Americans. He was the voice of the E-Trade baby on several television commercials and was credited as a writer for those commercials.[11]
He wrote for the NBC primetime sitcom Outsourced and for the Fox sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter prior to its cancellation in May 2012.[12]
Holmes has created a comedic portrayal of Batman in CollegeHumor's internet series Badman. He ran a YouTube channel which was focused around skits alongside Matthew McCarthy called frontpagefilms.[citation needed]
On August 21 and 23 in 2012, Holmes recorded three episodes of a talk show pilot for TBS, produced by Conan O'Brien, entitled The Midnight Show with Pete Holmes.[13][14] Holmes's guests on the unaired pilots included Nick Offerman, Joel McHale, T. J. Miller, and Bill Burr. On February 26, 2013, TBS picked up the show and began airing in late 2013.[15] By July 10, 2013, the name of the show was The Pete Holmes Show.[16] The series premiered on October 28, after Conan.
The show was picked up for a second season by TBS. On December 9, 2013, Gabe Liedman performed the show's first stand-up routine.[17] On May 23, 2014, TBS canceled the talk show after two seasons following poor audience ratings. The show ended its run on June 19, 2014.[18][19]
2014–present: Crashing and new projects Edit
Holmes released his third comedy special, Faces and Sounds, in 2016. In 2019, he released his fourth album, Dirty Clean.[20]
Holmes created and starred in the HBO series Crashing. Crashing is a semi-autobiographical show on HBO that revolves around Holmes' character Pete, a young comedian who pursues a career in stand-up comedy after his wife cheats on him, leaving him homeless.[21] Holmes successfully pitched the idea of the show to Judd Apatow and it was picked up by HBO for filming in September 2015, with Apatow as director. The success of the pilot led HBO to give the green-light to the first season in January 2016. After four episodes had aired, HBO renewed the series for a second season[22] which premiered on January 14, 2018. On February 21, 2018, HBO renewed the series for a third season. Although season three was praised by critics, HBO canceled Crashing in March 2019.[23][24]
On May 14, 2019, Holmes released his book Comedy Sex God, which is described as, "part autobiography, part philosophical inquiry, and part spiritual quest."[25]
On March 29, 2021, Holmes was selected to play the lead role of a laid-off auto worker-turned-professional bowler (based on the life of Tom Smallwood) in a CBS sitcom pilot.[26] On May 14, 2021, the pilot for Smallwood was ordered to series, with a mid-season debut planned for the 2021–22 television season.[27][28] On November 24, CBS announced the sitcom has been retitled How We Roll, and received an adjusted first-season order of 11 episodes.[29] On December 10, 2021, CBS announced the series would premiere on March 31, 2022.[30] On May 12, 2022, CBS announced the show had been canceled after one season.[31]
Influences Edit
Holmes has listed "Weird Al" Yankovic, Brian Regan, Sinbad, Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Farley,[32] Dane Cook,[33] and Ray Romano[34] as his biggest comedic influences.[35]
Personal life Edit
Holmes first married when he was 22 years old; he divorced when he was 28.[36][21][37] In late 2017, he married Valerie Chaney.[38] Their daughter was born in September 2018.[39][40]
Works Edit
Comedy specials Edit
- Impregnated with Wonder (2011)
- Nice Try, The Devil (2013)
- Faces and Sounds (2016)
- Dirty Clean (2018)
Film Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | I Am Road Comic | Himself | |
| 2016 | Don't Think Twice | Pete Holmes | |
| 2019 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | Chuck (voice) | |
| 2020 | Gutbuster | Himself | |
| 2021 | Home Sweet Home Alone | Uncle Blake | |
| 2023 | Family Leave | Post-production |
Television Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Premium Blend | Himself | Episode: "8.6" |
| 2007 | Scott Batman Presents Scott Batman Presents | Earth's New Robot Overlord (voice) | Episode: "One" |
| 2010–2011 | Outsourced | Writer | |
| 2010–2012 | Ugly Americans | Toby (voice) | 20 episodes |
| 2010–2013 | John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Pete Holmes: Impregnated With Wonder | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2011–2012 | I Hate My Teenage Daughter | Writer | |
| 2013 | The Jeselnik Offensive | Himself | Episode 1.9 |
| 2013 | Maron | Himself | Episode: "Marc's Dad" |
| 2013 | Pete Holmes: Nice Try, the Devil | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2013 | American Dad! | Toby (voice) / Millionaire Matt Davis (voice) | Episode: "Lost in Space" "The Longest Distance Relationship" |
| 2013–2014 | The Pete Holmes Show | Himself (host) | Also creator, writer, and executive producer |
| 2014 | Mulaney | Trey | Episode: "In the Name of the Mother, and the Son, and the Holy Andre" |
| 2016 | Animals. | Patrick (voice) | Episode: "Rats." |
| 2016 | Pete Holmes: Faces and Sounds[42] | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2016–17 | Mighty Magiswords | Teri Gargantuan, Thaddeus Thirdwell III (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Ryan (voice) | Episode: "A Tale of Two Wizards" |
| 2017–2019 | Crashing | Pete | Also creator, writer, and executive producer |
| 2018 | Bob's Burgers | Connor (voice) | Episode: "Something Old, Something New, Something Bob Caters For You" |
| 2018–2020 | The Simpsons | Matthew / Bode Wright (voice) | Episodes: "Bart's Not Dead", "Warrin' Priests"; also writer |
| 2019 | Star Wars Resistance | Flobb / Fleez (voice) | Episode: "From Beneath" |
| 2018 | Pete Holmes: Dirty Clean | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2022 | How We Roll | Tom Smallwood | Lead role |
| 2023 | Night Court | Rand | 4 episodes |
Web series Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Star Trek: Very Short Treks | Capitain | Episode: "Skin A Cat" |
References Edit
- ^ a b "Crashing star Pete Holmes on creating comedy out of his divorce". Stuff. 18 February 2017.
- ^ a b "In Focus: Alumni". www.gordon.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ Burke, Daniel (May 24, 2019). "Comedian Pete Holmes was a good Christian guy. Then his wife left him, and things got weird". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ a b "Comic Pete Holmes Draws On His Early Career And 'Churchy' Roots In 'Crashing'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ Pete Holmes at IMDb
- ^ "Pete Holmes on Christian jokes - YMH Highlight". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ Kharakh, Ben (October 26, 2006). . Gothamist. Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ "Doritos Beer". YouTube.
- ^ Harris, Will (2011-12-08). "The best comedy albums of 2011". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
- ^ McFarland, Kevin (December 3, 2013). "The best comedy albums and specials of 2013". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Steinberg, Don (2011-02-18). "The Funny People Behind the Famous Ads". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
- ^ Murthi, Vikram (2016-11-22). "'Crashing' Trailer: Pete Holmes' HBO Sitcom Shows The Comic Adjusting To Divorced Life". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
- ^ "Get Free Tickets For The Pilot Of "The Midnight Show With Pete Holmes"". Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ Luippold, Ross (July 25, 2012). "Pete Holmes To Follow Conan O'Brien? Talk Show Pilot In Development At TBS". HuffPost. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 26, 2013). "TBS Greenlights Conan O'Brien-Produced Late-Night Show Starring Pete Holmes As 'Conan' Companion".
- ^ . Nerdist. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- ^ . Vulture. 10 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 23, 2014). "TBS Cancels 'The Pete Holmes Show' After Two Seasons (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ "TBS Cancels 'The Pete Holmes Show'". Deadline Hollywood. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ Kozell, Isaac (17 December 2018). "The 3 Stages of Pete Holmes's New HBO Stand-up Special Dirty Clean". Vulture. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ a b Swidey, Neil (January 17, 2018). "How Lexington's Pete Holmes got Judd Apatow's attention and became a comedy star – The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
- ^ "HBO Renews Pete Holmes' Crashing for Season Two". Paste Magazine. 15 March 2017.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (March 8, 2019). "'Crashing' Canceled After Three Seasons at HBO". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (2017-03-15). "HBO Renews Pete Holmes Comedy 'Crashing' for Second Season". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
- ^ Holmes, Pete (2019). Comedy Sex God. New York, NY: Harper Wave. pp. Back cover. ISBN 978-0062803979.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 29, 2021). "Pete Holmes Set As The Lead Of CBS' Tom Smallwood Comedy Pilot". Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ Low, Elaine (May 14, 2021). "CBS Orders 'Smallwood' and 'Good Sam' to Series". Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ "Pete Holmes To Star In New CBS Comedy Smallwood Debuting Mid-Season". CBS. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (November 24, 2021). "Pete Holmes' CBS Comedy 'Smallwood' Retitled 'How We Roll' As Episode Order Adjusted". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 29, 2021). "'How We Roll' Premiere Date: CBS' Pete Holmes Bowling Comedy Books Lane For March". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Petski, Peter; White, Denise (2022-05-12). "'How We Roll' Canceled After One Season By CBS". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ^ . YouTube. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ^ "You Made It Weird". Nerdist. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ^ "You Made It Weird". Nerdist. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ Sam Jones. "130. Pete Holmes". Off Camera with Sam Jones (Podcast). Quote by Pete Holmes. Sam Jones Pictures. Event occurs at 17:31–18:08. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
For the first five years, maybe ten, most comedians are just doing, it's like they have a vita[min] mix and they just put in—like me, it was like, Steve Martin and Seinfeld, and you put in, like Brian Regan and you blend it up and you can—you reek of it.
- ^ Ryan, Patric. "How divorce led Pete Holmes to HBO's 'Crashing'". USA Today. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ Jordan Zakarin (16 February 2017). "Pete Holmes's Life Blew Up. His New HBO Show Is His Therapy". Inverse. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ Baraka Kaseko and Marah Eakin (17 November 2017). "Pete Holmes says being married changes things". The AV Club. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ "Pete Holmes Thinks Expectant Dads Should "Woman Up" @ Team Coco". TBS/Conan O'Brien. October 2, 2018.
- ^ The A.V. Club, Let's watch Pete Holmes rate baby names, archived from the original on 2021-12-13, retrieved 2019-01-21
- ^ "You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes: Rob Zombie on Apple Podcasts".
- ^ "Here's a Promo for Pete Holmes's HBO Standup Special 'Faces and Sounds'". Vulture. November 7, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2022.