Steve Hofstetter

Early life and education

Hofstetter grew up in a Jewish family in the New York City borough of Queens, living at various times in Briarwood, Forest Hills and Rego Park.

He graduated from Hunter College High School in 1997 and received his B.A. from Columbia University's School of General Studies in 2002. There, Hofstetter wrote for the Columbia Spectator and served as President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Career

Hofstetter gained a reputation by posting videos of interactions with audience members on YouTube, which garnered so many views that Fox Television offered him a series called Laughs, a half-hour showcase for standup comedians, which debuted in August 2014. Shortly after its premiere, SAG/AFTRA issued a "Do Not Work" notice to its members due to Fox's choice to make the show a non-union production. This touched off a controversy about whether all television shows should be union productions.

Hofstetter was the Senior Comedy Correspondent for FOX Sports' Just a Bit Outside.

Hofstetter vs. The Cable Guy

In March 2006, Hofstetter and Razor & Tie announced the April 4 release of Cure for the Cable Guy, a 45-minute CD/DVD that featured a cover with a Larry the Cable Guy Doll hanging by a co-ax cable. The disc earned Stuff Magazine's "Album cover of the month". Later that week, Larry the Cable Guy's new film debuted and was universally panned. Several movie reviewers discussed Hofstetter's album, including the Orlando Sentinels Roger Moore. Moore's review was picked up by dozens of papers across the country, including the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, and Columbus Dispatch. Hofstetter did radio interviews about the album, including one with Philadelphia's Kidd Chris show, where Hofstetter spoke with Larry the Cable Guy's portrayer, Dan Whitney. Whitney ended the interview with his catch phrase, "Git-R-Done."

The album's cover was compared to the Sex Pistols' "Pink Floyd Sucks" T-shirts. Allmusic's Bret Love wrote, "Hofstetter effectively rebels against the mainstream by positioning himself as the antithesis of the world's most popular comedian. What could be more punk rock than that?"

In July, an article in the New Yorker quoted Whitney as saying Hofstetter had been hurtful, and Whitney's manager criticizing Hofstetter for "trying to make a buck". In response, Hofstetter posted a video on YouTube explaining his stance on the Cable Guy and his comedy.

Pay-What-You-Want

In December 2007, Hofstetter announced his new album, Dark Side of the Room. Customers can download it directly from his website with "Pay-What-You-Want" à la Radiohead's 2007 album In Rainbows.

He has also tried a new model of comedic touring: The Your Tour, where tickets are sold prior to a show that has yet to be announced. Once the city and the date are announced, if at least 50 people in the city have purchased tickets, Hofstetter will perform. If not enough people buy tickets, all purchases are refunded.

Books

• Student Body Shots: A Sarcastic Look at the Best 4–6 Years of Your Life
• Student Body Shots – Another Round: More Sarcasm On The Best Four To Six Years Of Your Life
• National Lampoon's Balls! An In Your Face Look at Sports (2007, National Lampoon)
• Ginger Kid: Mostly True Tales from a Former Nerd
• Follow Your Dream (Unless Your Dream Is Stupid) (2022)

Album and special releases

• Tastes Like Bliss (2004, unofficial release)
• Cure for the Cable Guy (2006, Razor & Tie)
• The Dark Side of the Room (2008, Next Round)
• Steve Hofstetter's Day Off (2009, Next Round)
• Pick Your Battles (2011, Next Round)
• Ginger Kid (2015, Next Round)
• Secret Optimist (2017)
• The Recipe (2023)
• Me, Myself, and ID (2024)
• Kill the Butterflies (2025)

References

References

1. (August 2024)
2. "Steve Hofstetter".
3. Waksman, Gary. (2015-10-26). "Finding Babe Ruth". Major League Baseball, MLB Network, New Wave Entertainment Television.
4. "Steve Hofstetter on MLB Now - 05/10/2016".
5. "TVNewser - Jobs in TV News".
6. (July 25, 2019). "Steve Hofstetter from ESPN, VH1, & More".
7. "Steve Hofstetter". Sidney Business Improvement Area Society.
8. "Steve Hofstetter".
9. "North Jersey - Montclair".
10. Silverberg, Alex. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070613175543/http://www.stevehofstetter.com/reviewstemplate.cfm?ID=239 "Comic Thanks His Queens Upbringing"], copy of article from ''The Queens Tribune'', July 6, 2007. Archived from [http://www.stevehofstetter.com/reviewstemplate.cfm?ID=239 the original] on June 13, 2007. "Hofstetter has been all around Queens.. He spent his younger years in Briarwood before moving on to Forest Hills, and finally settling down in Rego Park for the duration of his teen years."
11. "Alumni".
12. Hofstetter, Steve. (2002-05-01). "Parting Shots". [[Columbia Daily Spectator]].
13. "Sigma Phi Epsilon – Building Balanced Men".
14. "History".
15. [https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/fox-television-stations-sets-summer-test-runs-for-three-series-1201251348/ Fox Television Stations Sets Summer Test Runs for Three Series], ''Variety''
16. "Steve Hofstetter, co-owner of the Laughing Derby, opts to make Fox's 'Laughs' a non-union show - Louisville - Business First".
17. FOX Sports. (February 13, 2015). "Meet @SteveHofstetter, the new #JABO (Just A Bit Outside) Senior Comedy Correspondent! First up: Josh Hamilton.".
18. "Your Family's Media Guide - Ok.com".
19. "Metromix. Movie review: ?Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector'".
20. (March 25, 2006). ""Cable Guy" needs healthy joke infusion".
21. "Mix971.net: The Leading Mix Site on the Net".
22. "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture - VH1".
23. Steve Hofstetter. (July 6, 2006). "Why I Cured the Cable Guy (Steve Hofstetter)". [[YouTube]].
24. "Johnson City Press".
25. Borha, Imade. (September 8, 2016). "Steve Hofstetter heckles the hecklers".