RJ Fried
RJ Fried | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert J. Fried 1981 (age 43–44) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University (B.A.) |
| Occupation(s) | Comedy writer, producer, performer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Co‑creator of Our Cartoon President, Tooning Out the News, and creator of Fairview |
| Awards | Multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations; Writers Guild Award winner |
| Website | rjfried |
RJ Fried (born 1981) is an American comedy writer, producer, and performer.[1] He has written for several late-night and satirical television programs and is the co-creator of the animated series Our Cartoon President and Tooning Out the News.[2][3]
Fried also created the Comedy Central animated sitcom Fairview. He is a multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominee and a Writers Guild Award winner, known for his work on political satire and variety comedy.[4]
Early life and education
[edit]Fried was born in 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[5][6] During his prep school years at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, he captained the hockey team and earned All-League honors, also being named a Sports Illustrated/Old Spice Athlete of the Month in 1999.[7]
Career
[edit]Fried worked in broadcast journalism as a segment producer for MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell from 2010 to 2013.[8] He also wrote for Comedy Central's charity special Night of Too Many Stars in 2010 and 2012, earning Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.[4]
In 2013, Fried joined the writing staff of The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS as a writer and occasional performer.[9] After the Late Show ended its run in 2015, Fried wrote for the NBC variety series Maya & Marty in 2016 and began working with comedian Robert Smigel on a series of political satire specials featuring Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.[1] He was a writer and producer on Triumph's Election Special 2016, a satirical election-year special on Hulu that won a 2017 Writers Guild of America Award and earned Fried another Emmy nomination.[4] That same year, he served as head writer for the Comedy Central late-night talk show Problematic with Moshe Kasher.[7]
In 2017, Fried was tapped by Stephen Colbert's production team to work on a new animated satire series for Showtime centered on the Trump White House.[10] He co-created the resulting show, Our Cartoon President, with Colbert and others, and served as its showrunner and executive producer during its run from 2018 to 2020.[11]
In 2020, Fried co-created Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News, a topical animated news parody series, alongside Colbert, Chris Licht, and Tim Luecke.[11] He acted as a showrunner, executive producer, and writer on Tooning Out the News, which launched on the CBS All Access streaming platform (later Paramount+) and features animated anchors lampooning current events.[9] It was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2021 and 2022 for Outstanding Short Form Comedy/Variety Series.[4]
In 2022, Fried created Fairview, an animated adult sitcom that premiered on Comedy Central.[12] He served as a showrunner and voice actor on Fairview, which featured a voice cast including comedians Aparna Nancherla and James Austin Johnson.[7]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Network | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010, 2012, 2015 | Night of Too Many Stars | Writer | Comedy Central | [4] |
| 2010–2013 | The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell | Segment Producer | MSNBC | [8] |
| 2013–2015 | Late Show with David Letterman | Writer and Performer | CBS | [13] |
| 2016 | Maya & Marty | Writer | NBC | [1] |
| 2016 | Triumph's Election Special 2016 | Writer and Producer | Hulu | [14] |
| 2016 | Triumph's Election Watch 2016 | Writer and Performer | Hulu | [15] |
| 2017 | Problematic with Moshe Kasher | Head Writer | Comedy Central | [11] |
| 2018–2020 | Our Cartoon President | Co‑creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer | Showtime | [10] |
| 2022 | Fairview | Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer | Comedy Central | [12] |
| 2020–2023 | Tooning Out the News | Co‑creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer | Paramount+ Comedy Central |
[11] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (June 10, 2019). "'Our Cartoon President' Co-Creator R.J. Fried On Crafting Topical Animation That Can Respond To Current Events In Real Time".
- ^ Ellis, Emma Grey. "Quarantine Is a Weirdly Good Time for Animation" – via Wired.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (February 23, 2020). "'Our Cartoon President' Boss R.J. Fried: 'The World Feels More Cartoonish Than Ever'". Variety.
- ^ a b c d e "RJ Fried". Television Academy.
- ^ "Two-Sport Superstar". The Harvard Crimson.
- ^ "Robert Fried profile". NHL.
- ^ a b c Szabo, Sarah (September 25, 2017). "Showtime's Trump White House Comedy Finds Its Writer". Looper.com.
- ^ a b "Very Last Word: Goodbye, R.J. Fried!". NBC News. July 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Heller, Jeff (August 8, 2021). "Interview: Talking 'Tooning Out The News' With Showrunner R.J. Fried".
- ^ a b Beresford, Trilby (March 14, 2020). ""We Don't Mind Getting in Trouble": How 'Our Cartoon President' Faces Hot-Button Topics".
- ^ a b c d "Episode 97: RJ Fried, "Tooning Out the News"".
- ^ a b "Creator mines small-town roots for Comedy Central's 'Fairview'". Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Wade, Chris (January 30, 2015). "John Oliver's Letterman Appearance and the Clash Between the Old and New Guard of Late Night" – via Slate.com.
- ^ "Triumph's Election Special 2016". Television Academy.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (December 7, 2018). "CBS Releasing 'Our Cartoon President' S1 on December 18". Animation Magazine.