2008 Richard Jeni

It was a long road for Richard Jeni to fall into his natural habitat. Humble beginnings as a Brooklynite stooge to teenage glue sniffer led into another doomed career as a PR executive. After getting fired repeatedly, and through the gentle coaxing of an ex-girlfriend, he gave comedy a shot, luckily for the rest of us.

Guest appearances as a personal favorite on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (earning the title 'panel guest') eventually led to his hosting of HBO's Comedy Hour in 1988, one of the most respected slots for any comedic professional.

From there, Jeni began a rigorous stint as spokesperson, for campaigns with Certs, Arby's, the Milk Association (winning himself a CLIO for his contributions) and Office Max. With the win of an American Comedy Award, a Cable ACE award, a slot as host of The Learning Channel and creator of his own UPN network sit-com 'The Platypus Man,' Jeni racked up accolades in seriatim that would impress even those long entrenched veterans of this brutal and competitive business.

A few of his movies include the blockbuster hit 'The Mask' with costar Jim Carrey, 'National Lampoon's Dad's Week Off' and 'Burn, Hollywood, Burn'. He has played himself on 'Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist,' 'Rank,' 'Pet Star' and 'Hollywood Squares'. He has a new special out, 'A Big Steaming Pile of Me' that has already garnered much attention and is leading up to yet another successful one-two punch.