One of the busiest men in show business is also one of the most down to earth. Joel McHale—a guy you likely know of, even if you don’t think you do—comes across like an old friend or a long-lost cousin. The Emmy Award winner is an actor, a producer, a comedian and host, and he’s coming to the Carmel area for a special event. Right now, he’s headlining three network shows: playing the lead in the sitcom “Animal Control,” and hosting reality competition show “House of Villains” and game show “The 1% Club.” He’ll also appear in the movie “Scream 7” this year. “My love language is trying to make money,” McHale jokes. “I’ll spend some of that money on therapy at some point. Not soon,” he adds. Quirky? Sure. Funny? Absolutely! Humble? Most certainly.
McHale knows it sounds cliché to talk about how grateful he is to have such a robust career, but he truly is. He relishes every role he’s playing. “I’m not kidding and I’m not trying to sound diplomatic, but to this day I can’t believe someone is paying me to do any of it. I get to be on camera and make jokes and wear fancy suits and get to ride a camel? Great! What a silly, wonderful predicament I’m in. I love it. I really do enjoy doing it all.”
His love of all-things-entertainment is palpable after decades of effort. McHale, now 54 years old, graduated from the University of Washington with a history degree. His time there included two years as a walk-on tight end on the Huskies football team. He never played in a game, but life worked out just fine when the stage and screen ended up being his true calling. He did what he calls “tons and tons of theater and improv,” followed by what felt like a big break at the time: a comedy show on the local NBC affiliate in Seattle. He went on to earn a master’s degree in acting from UW. Before any paid gigs, he was already dating the love of his life, his wife Sarah. “When I met her, I was like, I’m gonna do everything, use all my powers, to try to get her to like me. I had to really work hard to get her…I’m so lucky.” They’ll celebrate 30 years of marriage in July. “We look at each other and I say, ‘How did this happen? How did you agree to be with me this long? Why would you do this?’ She’s extremely patient.” Sarah, a yogi and a counselor, is who he refers to as “the adult in the room.” The couple has two boys, 21-year-old Eddie and 17-year-old Isaac. They also have two dogs, a pug and a one-eyed French bulldog.
National success came when McHale became the highly lauded host of pop-culture commentary show “The Soup” on the E! Network from 2004-2015. With his spikes firmly in TV’s turf, his career began to surge. He appeared on everything from “The X-Files” to “Sons of Anarchy” to DC’s “Stargirl.” NBC’s “Community” made him a bona fide household name playing the lead role of Jeff Winger, a sarcastic but lovable former attorney, from 2009-2015. In all, McHale has almost 100 acting credits.
Breaks are uncommon, but during a rare weekend off, McHale will be in Pebble Beach for the 33rd Annual Comics for Kids gala benefitting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County. It’s a full-circle opportunity for this former “club kid” who was a regular at his Mercer Island, Washington, club. “It was a lifesaver for me growing up,” he says. “It gave me community. Both of my parents were working, so that was where we’d hang out as little kids in summer and after school. Having people that are interested in kids’ lives—you don’t really realize it as a kid—but it was so positive and so cool. Now you look back, you realize it’s intentional. People had to go out and do that, make that, create that. That’s a ton of work. I’m very grateful.” McHale will co-host and perform an entire comedy set at the Spanish Bay fundraiser on April 18. “If I can show up and tell a couple of jokes and raise money…It’s a great organization and I’ll probably burst out crying at some point. But then I’ll go back to my questionable jokes,” he quips.
Workaholism, OCD, ADD—McHale makes it all work for himself, his loved ones and fans. To keep balanced he stays active, including weight lifting daily and lots of sports, especially tennis. “I have that golden retriever part of me that just has to run after any sort of sports ball I can.” He collects swords and knives, which he acknowledges is a bit odd. But he places the most weight on quality time with family, friends and his dogs. “The ‘Community’ cast, we’ve all become so close, so seeing those guys [is great]. Just getting face time with friends is really important. And the rest of the time is going to Seahawks games or Mariners games because I love sports so much. I just like watching men or women with some kind of inflated round object to throw back and forth. Or, cuz I’m gone so much, I walk in the house, I lie on the ground and the dogs jump on top of me and we will stay there for an hour…then my wife says one word and they follow her away.”
McHale’s time in the Carmel area will be short and sweet. Come March and April, his work schedule will intensify. After the Comics for Kids event, it’s back to Canada, where season three of his hit show “Animal Control” is shot. “I feel like I’m still riding a bike down a hill, and my arms are folded and I’m trying not to grab the handlebars all the time. People are like, ‘Joel, are you always in this panic and anxiety mode?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I am. I’ve been in it since I was 11.’ That’s the way I operate.” With his talent, charm, good looks and self-effacing humor, Joel McHale will be around for a long time, and we’re all along for the wild, downhill ride.
The 33rd Annual Comic for Kids takes place Saturday, April 18, at The Inn at Spanish Bay. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.bgcmc.org.