Joel McHale is an American actor, comedian, and television personality. He came into the limelight after hosting E!’s ‘The Soup’ and starring in the comedy sitcom Community. He has starred in several movies and TV shows, including Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Deliver Us from Evil, Assassination Nation, The Great Indoors, and The X-Files. In 2019, he has a recurring role as Starman in the fantasy TV series Stargirl. In 2023, he took on the role of Frank, a disillusioned and emotionally distant Animal Control Officer, in the sitcom Animal Control, in which he also serves as an executive producer. In addition to acting, he has also voiced the characters in video games like Lego Dimensions and Fortnite. So, who is Joel McHale? Here’s everything we know about the actor.
Contents
Joel McHale Biography
Birth Name
Joel Edward McHale
Nickname
Joel
Profession
Actor, Comedian TV Host, Writer
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday/Birth
Joel McHale was born on November 20, 1971, in Rome, Lazio, Italy.
Age
He’s currently 52 years old.
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Ethnicity
White
He has Irish, Norwegian, Finnish, and English ancestry.
Education
Joel McHale went to Mercer Island High School. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Washington in 1995. He later enrolled in the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington from where he obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree.
Family
Joel was born in Italy to an American father Jack McHale and Candian’s mother Laurie (Jackson). His father worked as Dean of Students at Loyola University Rome Center.
Spouse
McHale married Sarah Williams on July 20, 1996. He met her first after a year of his college graduation in 1995. Shortly after, the two started dating each other after they went on a date the same year. The couple has two sons, Edward Roy McHale, born in 2005, and Isaac McHale, born on March 12, 2008. They reside in Hollywood Hills, California.
Physical Statistics
Height
- Feet – 6 feet 4 inches
- Centimeters – 193 cm
- Meters – 1.93 m
Weight
- Kilograms – 84 kg
- Pounds – 185 lbs
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Blue
Hair Color
Blonde
Sexuality
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Biting, sarcastic humor
- Towering height
Professional Statistics
Film Debut
Joel McHale made his feature film debut in 2004 with Sam Raimi’s superhero film Spider-Man 2 as Mr. Jacks.
Television Debut
McHale had his first small screen appearance in a sketch comedy series Almost Live! in 1996.
Notable Works
He gained enormous fame for hosting The Soup, a satirical weekly television show on the “E!” television network.
The budding comedian is also known for his portrayal of Jeff Winger on the NBC/Yahoo! sitcom Community.
His own talk show on Netflix, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale, is a complete package of celebrity guests, pre-taped sketches and video clips in a half-hour series that focuses on pop culture and news from around the world.
Joel McHale Favorites
- Movies – Ikiru (1952), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Blade Runner (1982), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), and Children of Men (2006)
Joel McHale Net Worth
As of 2024, McHale has a net worth of $14 million. He made around $2 million per year from The Soup and $60,000 per episode of Community.
Joel McHale Facts
He was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity from the Alpha Rho chapter at the University of Washington.
Joel has hosted several high-profile events including the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner in 2014, Independent Spirit Awards in 2011, ESPY Awards in 2015, and the People’s Choice Awards and Webby Awards in 2017.
He is a die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan.
In 2018, McHale starred as Chris on the second season of the Netflix horror-comedy series Santa Clarita Diet.
McHale plays Sylvester Pemberton, the Golden Age Starman in the DC Universe series Stargirl.
In 2023, he was cast opposite Vella Lovell in the lead role of Frank Shaw, a disillusioned and emotionally distant Senior Animal Control Officer in the Fox sitcom Animal Control. He’s also the executive producer of the series.