Television
80 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2009
But this episode
was McHale-
centric in a different way, as the
mischievous emcee was the star of
several of the featured clips. There
was a snippet of Wendy Williams,
talk-showhost and frequent
Soup
tar-
get, calling outMcHale by name. Then
therewas footageofMcHale forecast-
ing theweather alongsideAl Roker on
Today
as well as a clip of him banter-
ing with
Soup
favorite Willard Scott.
In an instant, McHale had gone from
being just another spectator, like his
audience, to the featured attraction.
McHale’s guest appearances on his
own show, which have been occurring
with increasing frequency lately, are
not precipitated by ego; the 38-year-
old Seattle native is as modest and
self-deprecatingas they come. They’re
simplya result of the fact that—with
hisnew sitcom,
Community
, bolstering
NBC’s Thursday-night comedy lineup
andwith the debut of his biggest film
role to date, in Steven Soderbergh’s
recently released
The Informant!
—
the guy is everywhere these days.
“Just like [Ryan] Seacrest, I’m
desperate for work,” he jokes. “But
believe me, if you had told me nine
years ago when I got to L.A. that I’d
have a couple of jobs, Iwould’ve been
very happy.”
McHale’s surge in popularity has
without a doubt been hard-earned.
He’s working more than 13 hours a
day on the set of
Community
, taping
TheSoup
onThursdaynights, andper-
forming stand-up on theweekends. In
between gigs, he squeezes in asmuch
time as he can with his wife, Sarah,
and his sons, Eddie, four, and Isaac,
one. ButMcHaleknowsaswell asany-
one that success comeswith sacrifice,
and he’s had tomake his fair share.
“Ican’twatchTVasmuchas Iused
to, so I have to be informed about
what’shappeningon
More toLove
and
[
Toddlers & Tiaras
], which, when you
think about it, is kindof ablessing,” he
says. “And Iwill not bedoingmy regu-
lar run of Kabuki theater in Kyoto—
I’m taking a coupleweeks off of that.
And I’ve decided to put my Russian-
ballet stuff on hold.”
Though he’s kidding (we think)
about Kyoto and toe shoes, he does
come from a theatrical background,
having earned a master’s in fine arts
from the University of Washington.
ButMcHaleadmits that beforehedis-
covered drama, he felt a little lost in
his undergrad studies, an experience
that helps him relate to his
Commu-
nity
character, Jeff Winger, who is
forced to return to school when his
law license is revoked.
“When I was in college, I spent a
Monty
python:
“Growing up,
Iwas just
obsessed
with it,”
McHale
admits. “JohnCleese is just
one of those people that I
always looked up to.”
Bill Cosby:
“I grew up
listening to
his records,”
he says.
“I played
them until
theywere broken.”
steveMartin andRichard
pryor:
“Their stand-up is just
out of thisworld,” he says.
CoMiC
Genius
Whatmakes funnyman
JoelMcHale crack up?We
found out. — J.J.
Therewas somethingmarkedly
different about a recent episode
ofE!’s
The Soup
: Itwas all about
host JoelMcHale. True, for the
show’s die-hard fans, theprogram
is
always
all aboutMcHale, in the
sense that thehandsome, skinny-
tied,wisecracking ringmaster
who satirizes reality stars, celebri-
ties, and televisionpersonalities
withpanachemakes thefive-year-
oldprogram — an extensionof the
Talk Soup
brand —what it is.
lot of time going, ‘What am I doing
here?’”hesays. “Obviously, thecircum-
stancesaredifferent formycharacter,
but it’s the same thought that I had,
whichwas, ‘How do I get out of here
the fastestway?Where is the exit?’”
The showhas givenhim the chance
toworkwithcomedygreats likeChevy
Chase, JohnOliver, and
TheHangover
’s
Ken Jeong. And if thatwasn’t enough,
McHale now suddenly finds himself
part of apowerful Thursday-night ros-
ter that includes names like Tina Fey,
AlecBaldwin, andSteveCarell.
“Tobe evenmentioned in that com-
pany is an honor,” he says. “I mean, I
don’tmind beingmentionedwithBret
Michaels and Flavor Flav and that Ca-
nadiangirl from
TheBachelorette
, but
it is just crazy and so cool tobe apart
of [this group].”
But don’t think he’s turning his
back on Michaels and company just
yet.McHale is committed to
TheSoup
through 2010 and says he still loves
doing the show. After all, he admits,
his
Soup
shtick is second nature.
“I feel like I was doing the same
thing [before
The Soup
] — on my
couch,withoutpantson, yellingbackat
the televisionwith a beer inmy hand,”
he says. “The fact that I cannowwear
a suit and yell into a camera about it
andget paid— I can’t believe it.”
JoelMchale hosting
TheSoup
