Bio: Joel Edward McHale was born in Rome, Italy, to a Canadian-born mother, Laurie (Jackson), and an American-born father, Jack McHale. His father, from Chicago, is of Irish descent, and his mother, from Vancouver, has Norwegian, Finnish, and English ancestry. Joel was raised in Seattle, Washington, and graduated from Mercer Island High School. He was a history major at the University of Washington, where he was a member of the championship football team. In addition, Joel received his master's of fine arts from UW's Actor's Training Program.Joel was a cast member on KING-TV's Almost Live! (1984). He moved to LA after graduating college and quickly landed parts in Will & Grace (1998) and Oliver Beene (2003). 2004 was a big year for Joel, as he booked roles in Spider-Man 2 (2004), The Onion Movie (2008), and Lords of Dogtown (2005). In addition, that year he began writing, producing and starring in The Soup (2004) on E! in which he counted down the most absurd, hysterical, wacky, and surreal moments in the world of reality TV and celebrities each week. Joel's quick wit and sharp comedic timing made "The Soup" a pop-culture phenomenon.Joel starred on the hit comedy series Community (2009). He also appeared opposite Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's comedic thriller The Informant! (2009). He hosted the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards, and co-starred in Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011), opposite Jessica Alba, in which he played a spy-hunting reporter married to Alba's character, the stepmother of his children. In 2011, he also had a role in What's Your Number? (2011) with Anna Faris and The Big Year (2011) with Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson.McHale appeared in Seth MacFarlane's Ted (2012), a live-action tale of a boy and his teddy bear. Co-starring with Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Seth MacFarlane, he played a charming but sleazy boss of Mila Kunis' character.In 2016, Joel was cast as the main character on the sitcom The Great Indoors (2016). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two sons. He performs stand-up comedy around the country to sold-out audiences.
Tivia: Went to the University of Washington as an undergrad from 1991-1995. Got his bachelor's degree in history and was a tight end for the Husky football team.His son, Eddie, underwent open heart surgery when 2 months old. He made a full recovery.Was a history major and went on to complete the master's program in acting at the University of Washington.His father's profession moved the family around several times. Joel was born in Rome before his family moved to Washington State, then they lived in Haddonfield, New Jersey for 2 years before moving back to a Seattle suburb.Listed his five favorite films as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Blade Runner (1982), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Children of Men (2006) and Ikiru (1952).Die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan.His wife gave birth to their second child, Isaac McHale, on March 12, 2008.His wife gave birth to their first son, Edward Roy McHale, in 2005. They call him Eddie.His father is of Irish descent. His maternal grandfather was of half Norwegian and half Finnish ancestry, and his maternal grandmother was of English and Norwegian descent.Joel is a member of Theta Chi Fraternity from the Alpha Rho chapter at the University of Washington.