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Simon Rich

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Simon Rich
Rich in 2009
Rich in 2009
Born (1984-06-05) June 5, 1984 (age 40)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • author
Alma materHarvard University
Years active2007–present
Spouse
Kathleen Hale
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2
ParentsFrank Rich
RelativesNathaniel Rich (brother)

Simon Rich (born June 5, 1984) is an American humorist, novelist, and screenwriter. He has published two novels and six collections of humor pieces, several of which appeared in The New Yorker. His novels and short stories have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Rich was one of the youngest writers ever hired on Saturday Night Live, and served as a staff writer for Pixar.[1] On January 14, 2015, Man Seeking Woman, a television comedy series created by Rich (and based upon his short story collection The Last Girlfriend on Earth) premiered on the cable channel FXX.[2]

Early life and education

Rich was born and raised in New York City. His parents are writers. His family is Jewish but they were not religious when he was growing up.[3] His parents are Gail Winston and the essayist and columnist Frank Rich. His older brother is novelist and essayist Nathaniel Rich. His step-mother, Alex Witchel, is a reporter for The New York Times.[4]

Rich attended The Town School and the Dalton School. After graduating, he enrolled at Harvard University, where he became president of the Harvard Lampoon. He was classmates with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.[5]

Career

After graduating from Harvard, Rich wrote for Saturday Night Live for four years (2007-2011).[6] The staff was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Series in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and won the Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy/Variety Series in 2009 and 2010. Rich departed to work as a staff writer for Pixar.[1] In 2013 and 2014, Rich was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 List.[7]

Magazine work

Rich has had pieces published in McSweeney's, The Believer,[8] GQ,[9] The Observer magazine,[10] Mad magazine,[11] Vanity Fair,[12] UK Glamour, Italian GQ, Italian Granta,[13] NPR.com,[14] NPR's "Selected Shorts,"[15] and The Barcelona Review,[16] among other publications.

His writing has also been selected for numerous anthologies including The Best of McSweeney's,[17] and I Found This Funny, edited by Judd Apatow.[18]

In 2013, Sony Pictures acquired the film rights to Rich's four-part novella Sell Out, which was originally published by the New Yorker that same year.[19]

Film work

Rich wrote the screenplay for the film An American Pickle, which premiered in 2020. Seth Rogen starred in the dual lead roles and served as producer.[20]

Upcoming projects

Rich is slated to write the script based on the illustrated book Unicorn Executions, to be produced by Universal Studios.[21]

Writings

Short stories

As an undergraduate at Harvard University in 2007, Rich received a two-book contract from Random House.[22] Rich's first book, a collection of short humor pieces entitled Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations was published in 2007 and was nominated for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. His second collection, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008.

Rich released his third collection of stories, The Last Girlfriend on Earth in 2013. Reception was favorable, with The Washington Post praising the book as "hilarious," declaring, "it just might be the best one-night stand you'll ever have."[23]

The Last Girlfriend on Earth was given a pilot order by FX within a week of its publishing as Man Seeking Woman.[24] The show was officially ordered by FXX with the leading cast of Jay Baruchel, Eric Andre, Britt Lower and Maya Erskine, with Rich as show-runner and executive producer, making him one of the youngest creators in TV history.[25] The show was produced by Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video and ran on FXX for 3 seasons.[26]

Rich's fourth story collection, Spoiled Brats, was published in 2014. The Guardian described it as "simply the funniest book of the year," adding "there are sometimes three laugh-out-loud moments within the same paragraph."[27] The Evening Standard also praised the book, calling Rich "a Thurber, even a Wodehouse, for today. Who could ask for more? You can give his books to people and just watch them laugh."[28]

A fifth collection, Hits and Misses, was published in July 2018. NPR said that "with this book, Rich has come into his own as one of the most talented writers of comedic fiction working today."[29] In 2019, Rich won the Thurber Prize for American Humor for Hits and Misses.[30]

Rich's sixth story collection, New Teeth, was published in July 2021.[31]

Novels

Rich's third book and first novel, Elliot Allagash, was released in May 2010.[32] In June that year, Jason Reitman optioned the movie rights to the novel.[33]

In 2012, Rich published his second novel, What in God's Name, which The New York Times Book Review compared to Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[34] In 2019, the novel was adapted for the first season of the TV series Miracle Workers. Subsequently, his short story "Revolution" inspired the second season of the program.

Play

Rich's first play, All In: Comedy About Love by Simon Rich, which is based on some of his short stories, is set to premiere on Broadway on December 11, 2024. Scheduled for a 10-week run at the Hudson Theatre, the production will feature a rotating cast of four performers at a time, which will include John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Chloe Fineman, and Richard Kind for the first five weeks of performances.[35]

Personal life

Rich lives in Los Angeles with his wife, author Kathleen Hale.[36][37] They have two daughters.[36]

Regarding his religious beliefs, he had previously called himself an atheist. But in a 2019 interview, he said, "To call yourself an atheist means you are certain about something, and I am not sure about anything".[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
2015 Inside Out Additional story material
2016 The Secret Life of Pets Additional characters
2020 An American Pickle Writer and producer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007–2011 Saturday Night Live Writer, actor 78 episodes
2009 CH Live: NYC Himself
2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers Himself Episode: "Episode 121"
2015–2017 Man Seeking Woman Creator, writer, executive producer 30 episodes
2017 The Simpsons Writer Episode: "A Father's Watch"
2019–2023 Miracle Workers Creator, writer, executive producer 37 episodes

Bibliography

Novels

  • Elliot Allagash. New York: Random House. 2010.
  • What in God's name. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2012.

Short fiction

Collections
  • Ant farm : and other desperate situations. New York: Random House. 2007.
  • Free Range Chickens. New York: Random House. 2008.
  • The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories. New York: Reagan Arthur Books. 2013.
  • Spoiled Brats. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2014.
  • Hits & Misses: Stories. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2018.
  • New Teeth: Stories. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2021.
  • Glory Days: Stories. New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2024.

Essays, reporting and other contributions

———————

Notes
  1. ^ Title in the online table of contents is "Mario, not so super at forty".
  2. ^ Title in the online table of contents is "When I was a boy, back before Earth got too hot to live on ...".

References

  1. ^ a b Gilbey, Ryan (July 16, 2013). "Simon Rich: the funniest man in America?". The Guardian. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "FX and FXX Set January Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series". The Futon Critic. November 21, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Meyer, Tami Kamin (November 4, 2019). "Jewish writer Simon Rich wins Thurber Prize for American Humor". Columbus Jewish News. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Nance, Kevin (October 24, 2014). "Simon Rich on Spoiled Brats". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Kristin Chenoweth/Tim Robinson/Simon Rich/Taku Hirano". Late Night with Seth Meyers. Season 8. July 20, 2021. NBC.
  6. ^ Gamerman, Ellen (November 3, 2014). "A Hamster's Take on His Bratty Owner". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "30 under 30: Entertainment – Simon Rich". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Rich, Simon (June 2012). "Simon Rich in conversation with Simon Rich". The Believer. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  9. ^ Rich, Simon (August 5, 2010). Elliot Allagash. ISBN 978-1847653147.
  10. ^ "Rich pickings – Simon Rich's weekly humour column for the Observer Magazine". The Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Simon Rich". Mad. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2024.}
  12. ^ "Simon Rich". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  13. ^ "Simon Rich". Granta Italia. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2024.}
  14. ^ Rich, Simon (December 22, 2011). "One Airplane And Two Brawling, Bawling Babies". NPR. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  15. ^ Rich, Simon (October 11, 2013). "Selected Shorts: Love Songs?". WNYC. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  16. ^ Rich, Simon. "Scared Straight". The Barcelona Review. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "The Best of McSweeney's". McSweeney's. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  18. ^ "I Found This Funny". McSweeney's. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  19. ^ Rich, Simon (January 28, 2013). "Sell Out: Part One". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  20. ^ Sneider, Jeff (May 29, 2013). "Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to Sell Out for Sony (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  21. ^ Ford, Rebecca (December 6, 2013). "Universal Wins Bidding War for Unicorn Executions (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  22. ^ Seward, Zachary M. (April 6, 2007). "Rich '06–'07 Scores a Home Run in Debut". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  23. ^ Wilwol, John (February 5, 2013). "The Last Girlfriend on Earth, by Simon Rich". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 19, 2013). "FX Greenlights Comedy Pilot From Simon Rich & Broadway Video". Deadline. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  25. ^ "FXX Orders Jay Baruchel Starrer Man Seeking Woman". Deadline. July 2, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 4, 2017). "Man Seeking Woman Canceled By FXX After 3 Seasons". Deadline. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  27. ^ Haig, Matt (August 20, 2014). "Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich review – the funniest book of the year?". The Guardian. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  28. ^ Sexton, David (August 7, 2014). "Rich pickings that will make you laugh out loud". Evening Standard. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  29. ^ Schaub, Michael (July 24, 2018). "Hits And Misses Doesn't Miss a Beat". NPR. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  30. ^ "2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor Winner". Thurber House. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  31. ^ "New Teeth by Simon Rich". Little, Brown and Company. 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  32. ^ De Haven, Tom (May 20, 2010). "Mean Boys". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  33. ^ Kit, Borys (October 14, 2010). "Jason Reitman books rights to Allagash". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  34. ^ Cassels, Patrick (August 3, 2012). "What in God's Name, by Simon Rich". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  35. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (September 9, 2024). "John Mulaney, Renée Elise Goldsberry, More Are Bringing Short Stories by Simon Rich to Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Simon Rich: By the Book". The New York Times. July 26, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  37. ^ "Kathleen Hale". The Believer. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
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