Chris Gethard

Gethard hosted The Chris Gethard Show, a talkshow that originally aired on New York City public-access and was streamed around the world on Gethard's website. The show began as a live piece at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in 2009. Gethard then went to Los Angeles to pitch a network version of the show, but ended up returning to New York City to produce it for public-access because he wanted to retain the chaotic, cheap feel of early MTV talk shows. The show has since grown to consist of both stage and filmed performances. It has developed a reputation for outrageous spectacle, often featuring awkward viewer calls, high-concept group segments and Gethard subjecting himself to abuse, including an episode where he hired a kickboxer to hit him if he failed to answer simple questions about his friends.[5] As a child, Gethard admired comedians who seemed to be able to do whatever they wanted, such as Howard Stern, Andy Kaufman, and David Letterman. This interest influenced the style of The Chris Gethard Show and Gethard's comedic persona.

The show was entirely self-funded and none of the performers were paid for their time during its public access time. Though this largely surfaced as result of the style of Upright Citizens Brigade shows and the aesthetic of the show, Gethard had stated that he would not be opposed to the show being picked up by a television network. He met with a number of network producers, but the show was not picked up, the primary concern being its unpredictable nature and frequent swearing.[6] In early 2014, Comedy Central ordered a pilot from TCGS, to be co-produced by Funny or Die, leading to a brief hiatus from the weekly program. The pilot was taped, but ultimately not picked up by Comedy Central. The show returned to MNN from April to January 2015. In its final MNN episode it was announced that the show had been picked up by Fusion, where it ran for two seasons.

Throughout the show's many manifestations, it has attracted a number of celebrity guests including P. Diddy, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Paul Giamatti, and Lena Dunham.[20]

After its run on Fusion, The Chris Gethard Show was picked up for a third season by truTV, and began airing live episodes in August 2017.[20] In August 2018, Gethard announced the show had been canceled and would not return for another season.[21]

Gethard hosts the Earwolf's podcast Beautiful/Anonymous, which first aired on March 15, 2016. The following is Earwolf's description of the show: "1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. That’s the premise behind Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, hosted by comedian Chris Gethard...Every week, Chris opens the phone line to one anonymous caller, and he can’t hang up first, no matter what. From shocking confessions and family secrets to philosophical discussions and shameless self-promotion, anything can and will happen!"[22] He won the Webby Award for Best Host in 2017.[23]

Gethard co-hosted Earwolf's podcast, In Your Dreams, with Gary Richardson.[24] The podcast first aired on December 12, 2016 with special guest comedian Aparna Nancherla, and the ninth and final episode aired on February 6, 2017.[24]

Main Article: Planet Scum Live

Gethard has hosted the show Planet Scum Live, the title of which was given to his live streaming comedy network, since May 3, 2020.

Gethard is also the author of Weird NY, a book detailing the ghost stories and urban legends of New York City, and A Bad Idea I'm About to Do, a collection of stories from Gethard's life, which has been highlighted on This American Life.[25] Previously, Gethard served as an editorial assistant for the popular Weird NJ and Weird US publications. On October 16, 2018, Gethard's self-help narrative Lose Well was published out of Harper Collins's HarperOne imprint.[26]

The Chris Gethard Show is well known for its audience interaction. One show featured a woman calling in to inquire about the purpose of the show. Gethard invited her to join them and she became a regular for four months.[5] After this the notion of random, unknown fans becoming regular cast members became popular. The show continued this trend through its public access run, having a new "random" as a cast member for 15 episodes.