Top 10 Facts about Joel McHale

E! Entertainment logo. Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about Joel McHale

Joel McHale has established himself as a great TV host and actor over the last two decades. The comedian has had an incredible career trajectory, and it appears there is no stopping him. His fortune has also risen in tandem with his celebrity.

McHale began his career in show business in the 1990s as a member of an improvement comedy troupe that performed in downtown Seattle. He began hosting the satirical weekly TV show The Soup in 2004. The show aired on the E! Network and took viewers through the week’s ridiculous television events.

His E! gig quickly led to other hosting and judging opportunities. He appeared in the American version of the British TV show The IT Crowd and was a judge on Iron Chef America.

McHale also appeared as a guest in the Season 6 finale of The Last Comic Standing, recapping the events of the show in a manner similar to The Soup. He also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11, Episode 4.

1. McHale was born in the Italian city of Rome

Joel McHale. Photo by Gage Skidmore. Wikimedia Commons

Joel McHale was born on November 20, 1971, in Rome. Jack McHale, his father, was the Dean of Students at Loyola University Rome Center. His mother, Laurie, is Canadian, and his father is from Chicago, Illinois. McHale was raised Catholic and is of Irish and Norwegian ancestry.

He grew up on Mercer Island, Washington, before moving to Haddonfield, New Jersey, and then back to Mercer Island. He graduated from Mercer Island High School.

Joel McHale earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Washington in 1995 and was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity for a short time before leaving because he “couldn’t stand it.”

2. Joel McHale played college football

The comedian’s 6-foot-4-inch stature undoubtedly qualified him to play football at the University. McHale was recruited to row for the University of Washington, but he later switched to football. Unlike the majority of his teammates, he was a walk-on who played tight end on the scout team for two years without appearing in a game.

He also participated in the school’s Professional Actor Training Program at the same time. He had a passion for both acting and football.

3. McHale was featured on an episode of Diagnosis Murder

Joel McHale. Photo by Gage Skidmore. Wikimedia Commons

When asked about the highlight of his career, McHale immediately recalls his appearance on the television drama Diagnosis Murder in 2001. “I never met Dick Van Dyke, but he appeared on the show,” McHale says. “I was murdered within the first five minutes, and I’m still irritated that my character didn’t win that scuffle.”

4. His social media channels are pretty genuine

If you search for McHale on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, you may notice that his feeds appear less updated than those of other Hollywood stars of his stature.

He has over 500k followers on Instagram and over 3 million followers on Twitter.

5. He calls South Florida a “magical place”

Joel McHale. Photo by Tomdog. Wikimedia Commons

“I believe the first time I went to Miami was in 2002,” McHale says. “It’s a revelation that you can drink on the beach.” It’s almost like being on Mykonos.”

He said he could skip a day he was meant to perform and hit the Palm Beaches. 

6. McHale hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner in 2014

The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in 2014 was hosted by The Soup host and Community star Joel McHale. The annual event, which is hosted by a comedian in front of an audience that includes the President of the United States and a slew of Washington, D.C. journalists, took place on May 3rd 2014 and was televised on C-SPAN as usual.

Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers hosted the previous three dinners. McHale was hosting the event for the first time.

7. Joel McHale’s net worth is estimated to be $14 million 

Dollars on a table. Photo by Celyn Kang. Unspalsh

He made his fortune through acting and hosting jobs. McHale earned a $2 million annual salary as the host of The Soup at its peak.

The actor earned $60,000 per episode while playing Jeff Winger on Community. McHale earned nearly $7 million by the time the show ended in 2015, despite the fact that it ran for 110 episodes over six seasons.

The comedian has a penchant for the finer things in life, as evidenced by his collection of high-end vehicles such as the Icon FJ43 and Porsche 911. McHale and Sarah Williams, his wife of 25 years, have adjusted to their fame and wealth with each house they’ve purchased over the years.

8. McHale promotes human welfare through a number of charitable organizations

McHale pledged his support to the Children’s Tumour Foundation in 2021, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about and treating Neurofibromatosis.

DoSomething.org, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Friar’s Foundation, Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Motion Picture & Television Fund, Noreen Fraser Foundation, Screen Actors Guild, The FEED Foundation, The Trevor Project, and UNICEF are among the other charities and foundations McHale has supported.

9. Joel McHale supports the LGBT community

Two women with LGBT flags. Photo by Mercedes Mehling. Unsplash

While he was performing at the Durham Performing Arts Center, he wore a handmade gay-rights shirt, discussed the recent bathroom law, stated that he would donate all proceeds to the LGBTQ Center of Durham, and stated that he would not perform in the state again until the law was repealed.

Fans who attended Friday night’s show on that day praised McHale’s activism on social media.

10. McHale is a podcast co-host

Guys making a recording. Photo by LexScope. Unsplash

From March 27, 2020, McHale has been a co-host of The Darkest Timeline podcast with former Community co-star Ken Jeong.; the podcast was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also hosted an after-show special of the Netflix documentary series Tiger King in 2020. They were the new hosts of Fox’s New Year’s Eve special New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast, along with Jeong. The second edition was cancelled due to the rapid increase in Omicron variant cases in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

McHale hosted Crime Scene Kitchen on Fox in 2021.