John Hodgman
Hodgman atBookExpo America promotingMedallion Status in 2017
Born	John Kellogg Hodgman (1971-06-03)June 3, 1971 (age 53) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupations	Actor author humorist television personality
Years active	2005–present
Spouse	Katherine Fletcher ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	2

John Kellogg Hodgman (born June 3, 1971) is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as his satirical trilogyThe Areas of My Expertise,More Information Than You Require, andThat Is All, he is known for his personification of aPC in contrast toJustin Long's personification of aMac inApple's "Get a Mac"advertising campaign, and for his work as a contributor onComedy Central'sThe Daily Show withJon Stewart.

His writings have been published inOne Story (to which he contributed the debut story "Villanova"),The Paris Review,McSweeney's Quarterly Concern,Wired andThe New York Times Magazine. He has also contributed toThis American Life,CBC Radio One, andWiretap. His first book and accompanying audio narration,The Areas of My Expertise, asatiricaltongue-in-cheekalmanac that contains almost no factual information, was published in 2005. His second book,More Information Than You Require, went on sale October 21, 2008. His third book,That Is All, went on sale November 1, 2011.Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches, a collection of "real life wanderings" about Hodgman's life experiences (especially in Western Massachusetts and coastal Maine), was published on October 24, 2017.^[1]Vacationland was a finalist for the2018 Thurber Prize for American Humor.^[2] His most recent book,Medallion Status, was released on October 17, 2019.

Hodgman was the headline speaker at the 2009Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C.

Hodgman was born and raised inBrookline, Massachusetts, the son of Eileen (née Callahan), a nurse and educator, and John Francis Hodgman, the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation and a professor atTufts University.^[3][4][5] He attended theHeath School andBrookline High School, where he edited the underground magazineSamizdat, named for thegrassroots dissident publishing movement produced under the Soviet Bloc.^[6][7] During his last year of high school, he hosted the weeklyRadio Consuelo show onfreeform stationWMFO inMedford.^[8]

In 1994 Hodgman graduated fromYale University with a degree in literature, focusing on literary criticism.^[9][10] Before gaining fame as a writer, Hodgman worked as a literary agent at Writers House in New York City, where he representedDarin Strauss,Deborah Digges, and actorBruce Campbell, among others. Hodgman has used his experience as an agent in his column "Ask a Former Professional Literary Agent" atMcSweeney's Internet Tendency.

Hodgman appeared onThe Daily Show on November 16, 2005, to promote his book,The Areas of My Expertise. HostJon Stewart described the book as "very funny" and said that the section onhobo names in particular was written with "a certain kind of genius." Hodgman has returned to theDaily Show numerous times for "resident expert" interview segments,^[11] and has been listed on the show's web site as a contributor.^[12]

In 2005, Hodgman played a character named "The Deranged Millionaire" inThey Might Be Giants'sVenue Songs DVD/CD, narrating in between songs with dialog he co-wrote with the band. The Deranged Millionaire character also appeared onThe Daily Show on April 2, 2014.^[13] He also narrated a number ofVenue Songs-themed setlists during the band's live shows in 2005, and has introduced the band while in the role of The Deranged Millionaire up to May 16, 2007. Hodgman appeared again with They Might Be Giants onThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, on December 11, 2009. Hodgman performed the spoken-word portions of the song "Why Does the Sun Shine?"

In February 2006, Hodgman appeared onAttack of the Show, a show that aired daily onG4, to share some insight with the host and promote his bookThe Areas of My Expertise. In this appearance, Hodgman recounted the sad tale of the lobster (which he said were actually a small, furry, extinct species, killed and replaced by the creatures we think of as lobsters today) and brought alongJonathan Coulton, a frequent Hodgman collaborator and musical director of the Little Gray Book lectures. Coulton performed a song called "Furry Old Lobster."^[14] Also, on October 18, 2008, Hodgman appeared again onAttack of the Show to talk about his newest book,More Information Than You Require.

Hodgman appeared in the North AmericanGet a Macadvertising campaign forApple Inc., which ran from May 2006 through 2010. In the ads he plays thepersonification of aPC alongside hisMac counterpart, played by actorJustin Long. In reality, however, Hodgman himself became a Mac user in 1984.^[15] On November 10, 2020, he made a surprise brief appearance at the 45:27 mark of Apple's virtual "One More Thing" event, where Apple unveiled its first Macs based on its own Apple silicon chips.^[16]

In 2007, Hodgman appeared in the "Bowie" episode of theHBO television seriesFlight of the Conchords. He played the manager of a musical greeting card company who was considering using one of the band's songs for a greeting card.

On October 1, 2008,Boing Boing'sXeni Jardin announced the official debut of the web seriesSPAMasterpiece Theater. Hodgman himself described it as "true tale[s] of romance, adventure, infamy, and low-cost prescription drugs, all culled from the reams of actual, unsolicited emails, received here by us and people like you – what we call SPAM."^[17][18][19]

Hodgman appeared in the episode "No Exit" ofBattlestar Galactica, appearing as the civilian neurosurgeon, Dr. Gerard. He had earlier visited the set in 2005 to write about the show forThe New York Times Magazine.^[20]

On June 19, 2009, Hodgman was the headline speaker at the 2009Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C. Hodgman referred to this event as a "Nerd Prom." Many of his jokes were on the topic of PresidentBarack Obama as the first nerd president, and he quizzed the President on his knowledge ofFrank Herbert's novelDune.^[21]

Hodgman appeared in the last two episodes of the first season ofBored to Death, "The Case of the Stolen Sperm" and "Take a Dive," as a literary reviewer who wrote a bad review that offended the main character.^[22] He returned in the second and third seasons.

Hodgman voice-acted onThe Venture Bros. in the episode "Self-Medication" as Dale Hale, an ex-boy detective in therapy following the death of his father. He has since had multiple appearances in Season 5 as O.S.I. operative Snoopy, along with other roles.

Also, during the61st Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2009, Hodgman providedcolor commentary with made-up trivia about the winners.^[23] He reprised this role for the62nd Primetime Emmy Awards in August 2010.

Because of his continuing support forQI, theBBC's intellectual comedy quiz shown onBBC America,^[24] Hodgman was invited to appear on the show. He was the first “fifth panelist" on the program broadcast December 3, 2009 (the usual line-up beingStephen Fry as host,Alan Davies as regular panelist and three guests)—and won, continuing the tradition of a guest winning their "rookie" appearance on the show.^[25]

In 2012, Hodgman guest-starred in an episode ofDelocated called "Reunion Show," acting as the host of a fictionalshow-within-a-show. Also in 2012, he appeared as a psychiatrist in an episode ofCommunity called "Curriculum Unavailable."

Hodgman made aguest appearance on the sitcom seriesHusbands in its second season.^[26]

In 2013, Hodgman starred as "Special Agent Henry Topple" inWired's first scripted web seriesCodefellas.^[27][28][29]

Hodgman appeared as public radio personality August Clementine in the episode "Anniversaries" ofParks and Recreation, which aired in February 2014.

Hodgman has a supporting role in the FX comedyMarried, which premiered in July 2014.In December 2014, Hodgman appeared in three episodes of theAmazon Studios seriesMozart in the Jungle.

In 2014–2015, Hodgman appeared for three episodes as a fictionalized version of psychiatrist and medical doctorHenry Cotton on theCinemax seriesThe Knick.^[30]

In 2016, Hodgman played the role of Travis, a local television station manager, in four episodes of the second season of Amazon'sRed Oaks series.^[31]

In November 2017, Hodgman was named one ofPortland Magazine's "10 Most Intriguing Mainers."^[32]

Netflix, the Americanstreaming media website, aired the comedy specialJohn Hodgman: Ragnarok on June 20, 2013, as a "Netflix Original".^[33][34][35] The special featured material from Hodgman's most recent book,That Is All, and his December 21, 2012, show atThe Bell House in New York.^[33][36]

In 2010, Hodgman began hosting a weekly,comediccourt showpodcast calledJudge John Hodgman.^[37] The program features Hodgman acting as a judge (withJesse Thorn asbailiff) adjudicating real-life disputes within a fictional courtroom setting. The cases answer questions like, "Should the kitchen sink's built-in dispenser be filled with dish soap or hand soap?" and "Can you stop family members from using your childhood nickname?"^[38]

Hodgman teamed with fellow humoristDavid Rees to create the adult animated showDicktown, which premiered in 2020. As of 2024, the show is in its second season and airs onFXX andHulu. The show is written, directed and executive produced by Hodgman and Rees;Matt Thompson also executive produces.Dicktown follows the story of detective John Hunchman and his sidekick David Purefoy (voiced by Hodgman and Rees respectively).

• 2015:Minecraft: Story Mode as Soren the Architect
• A character in the browser-based multiplayer role-playing game Kingdom of Loathing bears the name 'Hodgman, The Hoboverlord' in his honor.^[40]

Hodgman has been a guest on radio programs includingWBEZ'sThis American Life,^[41][42]NPR'sWait, Wait, Don't Tell Me,WFMU'sThe Best Show on WFMU,^[43]North Carolina Public Radio'sThe State of Things,^[44]Oregon Public Broadcasting'sLive Wire Radio, andBBC'sThe Museum of Curiosity.

Hodgman has appeared in twoCity Arts & Lectures events: in November 2008,Dave Eggers interviewed him; and in May 2013, he interviewedAdam Savage. Both interviews were held in front of a live theater audience and were also broadcast onNPR.

Hodgman has been featured on manypodcasts. He made occasional appearances as "Judge John Hodgman" onJordan, Jesse, Go!, which led to astand-alone podcast.^[37] He was a guest onThis Week In Tech withLeo Laporte,^[45]Stuff You Should Know,My Brother, My Brother and Me,^[46] theDoughboys podcast withMike Mitchell andNick Wiger,Neil deGrasse Tyson's podcastStarTalk Radio,^[47]Ken Reid'sTV Guidance Counselor, andBoing Boing TV.^[48] AlongsideJonathan Coulton, he was a guest on episodes ofThe Sound of Young America^[49] andMerlin Mann'sYou Look Nice Today.

• Husbands Guest star, season two
• Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj Episode "Student Loans"
• Triangulation Episode 72 on October 3, 2012^[50]
• the show with zefrank
• TED^[51]
• Diggnation Episode 231^[52]
• Today in the Past (podcast)^[53]
• Two articles on the website Open Letters in the year 2000.^[54][55] In them, he details a family trip to Ocean City, New Jersey shortly after his mother's death, and uses his experiences there as metaphors for life and death.
• Transcript of welcoming remarks at a literary reading shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11^[56]
• Guest player onHarmonQuest season one as the sandwich sorcerer
• Get a Mac web ads, as PC.
• Judge John Hodgman (podcast)
• Get Your Pets: The daytime talk show during which Hodgman interviews cats, dogs, and other pets via Instagram live.^[57]

• Hodgman was featured on the track "Question and Answer Time" onMC Frontalot's 2010 albumZero Day.^[58]
• Hodgman has appeared in two indie music videos directed byTom Scharpling. The first wasTed Leo & The Pharmacists "Bottled In Cork," followed byThe New Pornographers' "Moves."
• Hodgman appeared in the opening section ofAimee Mann's video for "Charmer" from the album of the same name, also written and directed by Scharpling.
• Hodgman featured on the track "Don't Worry It's Fine" onJean Grae &Quelle Chris' 2018 albumEverything's Fine.^[59]

As contributor:

• Hodgman appears on the cover of the February 2007 edition ofWired Magazine, as a contributor to their "What we don't know about..." articles.
• Hodgman oversaw the "True Life Tales" section of the SundayNew York Times Magazine.^[60] The section is currently on hiatus. He also writes the "Bonus Advice from Judge John Hodgman" section of "The Ethicist" column byKwame Appiah in the magazine.^[61]
• Hodgman has guest written for the "Sedaratives" section ofThe Believer. "Sedaratives" is anadvice column created byAmy Sedaris.
• Hodgman wrote the Massachusetts^[62] chapter in the anthologyState by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America.
• Hodgman wrote the introduction toThe Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out (2009), a collection of Adam Koford'sHobotopia comic strips.
• Hodgman founded The Little Gray Book Lectures inWilliamsburg, Brooklyn. The lectures have been on hiatus "for the foreseeable future" as of August 2007.^[63]

As author:

• The Areas of My Expertise (ISBN 0-525-94908-9, 2005)
• More Information Than You Require (ISBN 0-525-95034-6, October 2008)
• That Is All (ISBN 0-525-95244-6, November 2011)
• Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches (ISBN 0-735-22480-3, October 2017)
• Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms (ISBN 0-525-56110-2, October 2019)

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