Jason Mantzoukas

Mantzoukas first began writing comedy sketches during his junior and senior year of high school for variety shows.[22] He began performing short-form improvisational comedy (improv) as a part of the Otter Nonsense Players at Middlebury College and quickly became "obsessed" with improv as it utilized the same skill set as performing jazz.[17] While performing with the Otters, Mantzoukas met and began learning and practicing long-form improv with fellow performers, Jessica St. Clair, Dan O'Brien, and Rodney Rothman.[13]

Soon after moving to New York City in 1998, he began performing comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCB) and was taught by Amy Poehler.[13] He was a member of the improv team "Mother," one of the UCB's earliest house teams.[22][23][24] During his time at UCB, Mantzoukas worked in the computer graphics department at J.P. Morgan for over three years to "make ends meet."[25]

Mantzoukas and comedian Ed Herbstman performed as the comedy duo, "The Mantzoukas Brothers," for a number of years and were named the "Best Improv Duo" by Time Out New York magazine in 2006.[22][26] Mantzoukas continued to write and perform as a duo with Jessica St. Clair appearing in the sketch show, "We Used to Go Out" and long-form improv show, "First Date."[22][27][28] Together, he and St. Clair pitched a pilot to HBO (which was ultimately not picked up) and also earned a deal with Comedy Central.[22] The two were often compared to the likes of Nichols and May and continue to collaborate and perform on the podcast, Womp It Up!.[29] Mantzoukas would later go on to teach advanced improv classes at UCB.[30]

Mantzoukas has appeared in movies such as Baby Mama, I Hate Valentine's Day, The Dictator, and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.[8][31][32][33] He has also made guest appearances in television programs such as The Life & Times of Tim, Parks and Recreation, Enlightened, Broad City, Modern Family, The Good Place, Community, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.[34] Mantzoukas appeared in the recurring roles on the improvised FX comedy The League as Rafi and on the "Gigolo House" sketches on Comedy Central's sketch series Kroll Show as Eagle Wing.[13][34]

In 2018, he replaced T.J. Miller as the voice of Mr. Mucus for the Mucinex commercials.[35]

In 2008, NBC ordered a pilot for a comedy series written by Mantzoukas called Off Duty.[13][36] The pilot was filmed in New York starring Bradley Whitford and Romany Malco but the series was not picked up.[13] In interviews in 2014, Mantzoukas announced that he was working on a "loosely autobiographical" television show for Showtime about life after ending a long-term relationship.[13]

Mantzoukas earned credit for writing the screenplay draft of the buddy cop comedy, Ride Along, starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.[37] He originally was asked to write for Andy Samberg as one of the leads, but the rights to the film were ultimately purchased by Universal Studios who later cast Hart in the role originally intended for Samberg.[38] He has also served as a consulting writer and producer on Childrens Hospital and Portlandia.[39]

He currently co-hosts the podcast How Did This Get Made? with Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael.[40] Mantzoukas also regularly makes appearances on Comedy Bang! Bang!, Womp It Up!, and Reply All.[41][42][43]