Brett Evan Erlich (born March 1, 1982) is an American political comedian who works as a writer, producer, and host on TV shows and websites. He is the executive producer of ''

The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (''TYT'') is an American progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program live streamed on social media platforms YouTube and Twitch, and additionally selected television channels. ''TYT'' se ...

'' network, where he also hosts "Happy Half Hour." He has also appeared on

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

Primetime Specials hosted by

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

and

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. Since 2016, she ha ...

. From 2006 to 2011, Erlich was a writer, producer, and host of ''

InfoMania ''InfoMania'' (stylized as ''infoMania'') is an American half-hour weekly satirical news-show that aired on the Current TV television network from 2007 to 2011. The program was initially hosted by Conor Knighton and later Brett Erlich, with fe ...

'', a comedic news show on the cable station

Current TV Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a small ...

. He formerly wrote, co-hosted (with Ellen Fox), and co- executive produced '' The Rotten Tomatoes Show'' (2009–2010). ''InfoMania'' was canceled in the summer of 2011. From July 1, 2006, to July 9, 2007, Erlich wrote, associate-produced, and co-hosted ''Google Current''.

Early life and education

Born in 1982 in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

near

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, he attended local public schools and graduated from high school at Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills. He studied at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, graduating in 2004. While there, he co-founded the Stanford Shakespeare Society. This student-run company is devoted to the production and performance of Shakespearean drama and works influenced by Shakespeare.

Career

Erlich has become established as a political comedian in TV shows and on the Web. From July 1, 2006, to July 9, 2007, Erlich wrote, associate-produced, and co-hosted ''Google Current''. From 2006 to 2011, Brett was a writer, producer, and host of ''

'', a half-hour comedic news show on the cable station

. It was created by Madeline Smithberg, who created ''

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

,'' and executive producer David Nickoll. Erlich formerly wrote, co-hosted (with Ellen Fox), and co- executive produced '' The Rotten Tomatoes Show'' on

(2009–2010). After its cancellation, some of its material was compressed into a weekly 2-minute segment on ''InfoMania.'' This show was cancelled in the summer of 2011. Erlich's segments on ''InfoMania'' and ''Google Current'' have included "Viral Video Film School," "Guilty Pleasures," "Men Menning," "Everybody's Doin' It," "Spam I Got," "Ostensibly on the Scene," "World Leader Flickr Sites," "Retroactive Interview," and "FearCast." His show, ''Viral Video Film School,'' was nominated for a Webby Award in 2010 and was a People's Voice Winner in the Online Film & Video "How To & DIY" category. His video ''Saw the Musical'' was nominated for a 2011 Webby in the Variety category but lost to

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (; born October 1, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and writer. The accolades he has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Galifianakis ...

' ''Between Two Ferns.'' In 2012 Erlich appeared in the independent feature ''Dead Dad.'' In September 2013, Erlich became the host of '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Declassified'', a weekly online

aftershow An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program, to help retain the audience, and to provide a ...

on ABC.com for ''

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, ...

'' ''Declassified'' features recaps, sketches, and featurettes to bring fans up to speed ahead of the next episode. Three expanded installments with guests were planned for the first season for its more "provocative storylines". He later appeared on '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Academy'' final episode.

Personal life

In 2017, Erlich married Brooke Marks, his longtime girlfriend.

Notes and references

External links

Stanford Shakespeare Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Erlich, Brett Living people American television writers American male television writers Current TV people The Young Turks people Television personalities from Los Angeles Stanford University alumni 1982 births Chaminade College Preparatory School (California) alumni Writers from Los Angeles