| Brody Stevens | |
| Pseudonym: | Steven Brody Stevens |
| Birth Date: | 22 May 1970 |
| Birth Name: | Steven James Brody |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Medium: | Stand-up, television, movies |
| Active: | 1999–2019 |
| Website: | BrodyStevens.com |
Steven James Brody[1] [2] (May 22, 1970 – February 22, 2019), known professionally as Brody Stevens, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in the Comedy Central reality series , and was known for appearances on Chelsea Lately and other comedy shows as well as roles in films such as The Hangover (2009) and Due Date (2010).
Stevens was born Steven Brody in Los Angeles, California on May 22, 1970.[3] Stevens' family is from New Mexico and Arizona. His grandmother was born in New Mexico on May 2, 1909. His father, Harold Morris Brody, was born in Phoenix and worked as a private investigator.[4] Stevens described his family as the "pioneering Jews of the southwest".[5] Stevens was raised in Los Angeles, and briefly enrolled in private school until his mother decided he would attend public school.[6] The family moved to Sacramento during Stevens' early childhood. After his parents divorced when Stevens was eight years old, he lived with his mother and older sister in the San Fernando Valley.[7] Stevens did not go to Hebrew School nor read from the Torah for his Bar Mitzvah. In 1982, Stevens attended a nondenominational Christian church with his father, who was dating a member of the choir.[8]
He attended Reseda High School, excelling on the baseball team as a right-handed pitcher.[9] His highs included striking out 10 batters on multiple occasions[10] [11] (he was often clocked on the radar gun at 88MPH with movement), while his lows included balking in runs in playoff games.[12] Stevens went on to earn a scholarship to play Division I College Baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program, starting in four games, pitching 28 innings and recording 3 saves.[13] He graduated with a 2.52 GPA.[5]
Stevens first tried stand-up in Los Angeles, before moving to Seattle, where he began developing an act, in addition to co-creating and co-starring in a public-access television show with Teina Manu called Brody and Teina that garnered a cult following. His career continued for a three-year stint in New York City, before he found a home on the Los Angeles comedy scene.
Stevens appeared on the television shows Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Friday, Premium Blend, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, The Test with Jillian Barberie, Late World with Zach, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Attack of the Show!, Childrens Hospital, Tosh.0, TMZ on TV, Fox NFL Sunday, Conan, Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Burn with Jeff Ross, Kroll Show, The Ben Show and @midnight. He was also a regular panelist on Chelsea Lately.
In 2010, Stevens launched his own podcast The Brody Stevens Experiment. Only three episodes were released. On October 7, 2011 Stevens began co-hosting Brode & Esther, a podcast for the Deathsquad network with fellow stand-up comedians Esther Povitsky and Brian Redban. 15 episodes have been released.
In 2011, Stevens starred in and produced a documentary comedy series for HBO called Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!. Zach Galifianakis was an executive producer on the project. It was released in 2012 as six 15-minute episodes on HBO's digital platform HBO GO and received positive reviews. Following the popularity of his HBO program it was picked up by Comedy Central as .[14] The footage was shot by HBO, along with additional material shot by Comedy Central, and was released in 2013 as twelve 21-minute episodes.
Stevens was also an experienced audience warm-up performer and did warm-up on The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Late World with Zach, The Man Show, Chelsea Lately, The Burn with Jeff Ross, The Jeselnik Offensive, Rob Dyrdek's Ridiculousness, Who Gets the Last Laugh?, @midnight, The Exes, and Why? with Hannibal Buress.
Stevens also appeared in the films Road to Park City, Jesus Is Magic (2005), The Hangover (2009), I Am Comic (2010), Due Date (2010), and The Hangover Part II (2011). He also appeared in a minor role in Funny People (2009), but his scenes were ultimately cut from the film.[15]
Stevens launched another podcast on May 13, 2012 called The Steven Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship on the Feral Audio network. The podcast was a mixture of Stevens talking about his career and personal life, involving his producer Dustin Marshall and interviewing his friends from throughout the comedy world. 69 episodes were released. On November 13, 2013 Stevens launched his latest podcasting venture as the host of Positive Push on the Video Podcast Network YouTube channel, an affiliate of the Jash network.
Stevens was also a frequent podcast guest. He regularly appeared on podcasts produced by Brian Redban's Deathsquad network such as Kill Tony with Tony Hinchcliffe, What Brian Redban Do, and appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience as well as The Naughty Show with Sam Tripoli. Stevens also had a presence in the alternative comedy podcast scene, appearing as a contestant on Doug Loves Movies and guest on Earwolf podcasts such as Who Charted? with Howard Kremer and Kulap Vilaysack. In addition, Stevens regularly appeared as a guest on Jay Mohr's sports radio show Jay Mohr Sports.
Stevens performed in a wide range of comedy clubs across Los Angeles and was famous for his late-night spots at the Comedy Store. On February 27, 2013, Stevens taped a live comedy set at The Royale in Boston for the second season of Comedy Central's The Half Hour. While in Boston, he also recorded a series of interviews with the other 16 comedians appearing on The Half Hour called Push & Believe. It was released on Comedy Central's YouTube channel in December 2013.[16] Through the summer of 2013, he traveled the country performing on the Oddball Comedy Tour headlined by Dave Chappelle.[17]
Roughly a year prior to his death, starting in 2018, Stevens served as a co-host on the Barstool Sports Sirius XM radio show, Dialed in with Dallas, hosted by former MLB Pitcher Dallas Braden.
On February 22, 2019, Stevens was found dead in his Los Angeles home. An autopsy determined that he died by suicide. He was 48 years old. He had been suffering from bipolar disorder and depression at the time of his death.[18]
Stevens' website went offline between April and May 2020.[19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Unknown | TV series | |
| 2000 | Knights of the Heights | Bull | Short | |
| Road to Park City | Brody Stevens | Film | ||
| 2000–03 | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Stand-up / Brody Stevens / Sketch | TV series | |
| 2001 | Premium Blend | Himself | TV series | |
| Late Friday | Himself | TV series | ||
| 2002 | Meet My Folks | Delivery Guy | TV series | |
| The Best Damn Sports Show Period | Sketch | TV series | ||
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Publicist | TV series | |
| 2005 | Jewish Agent | Film | ||
| 2006 | Attack of the Show! | Osama | TV series | |
| 2007 | Tim and Eric Nite Live! | Uncle Vance | TV series | |
| I'll Believe You | Eldon Endicott, the Hoagie guy | Film | ||
| Stupidface | unknown | TV series | ||
| That's My Daughter | Hunky Trainer / Rival Gang Leader | TV series | ||
| 2008 | Gaytown | Mayor Stevens | TV series | |
| Comedy Gumbo | Hank Kern | Web series | ||
| Blind Ambition | Male Announcer | Film | ||
| 2009 | Tosh.0 | Himself | TV series | |
| All-Stars | Brody | TV series | ||
| The Hangover | Officer Foltz | Film | ||
| Kicking Sand in Your Face | 7/11 Guy | Short | ||
| 2009–12 | Chelsea Lately | Himself / Himself – Round Table | TV series | |
| 2010 | I Am Comic | Himself | Documentary | |
| Due Date | Limo Driver | Film | ||
| Cubed | Police Officer | TV series | ||
| Funny or Die Presents | Announcer | TV series | ||
| Ed Hardy Boyz: The Case of the Missing Sick Belt Buckle | Affliction D-bag | Short | ||
| 2011 | Tosh.0 | Sportscaster | TV series | |
| Childrens Hospital | Father | TV series | ||
| The Hangover Part II | Kingsley Guy | Film | ||
| Mad | Cop / Gossip Girl Baby / Teddy (voice) | TV series | ||
| 2012 | Couchers | The Legally Dead Guy | Web series | |
| First Look: Ultimate Teaser Trailer | Trailer Actor | Short | ||
| Alone Up There | Himself | Documentary | ||
| The Burn with Jeff Ross | Himself | TV series | ||
| Conan | Himself – Comic Guest | TV series | ||
| The Naughty Show | Himself | TV series | ||
| 2012–15 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Referencee / Referee | TV series | |
| 2013 | The Ben Show | Himself | TV series | |
| 2013–14 | Himself | TV series | ||
| Kroll Show | Steven Dykstra / Lance "Lactic Acid" | TV series | ||
| 2014 | Tom Green Live | Himself | TV series | |
| Morgan Murphy: Irish Goodbye | Announcer | Comedy special | ||
| The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail | Himself | TV series | ||
| The Playboy Morning Show | Himself | TV series | ||
| Last Call with Carson Daly | Himself | TV series | ||
| @midnight | Himself | TV series | ||
| The Half Hour | Himself | TV series | ||
| 2015 | Adventure Time | Guardian of the Mountain (voice) | TV series | |
| 2016 | Those Who Can't | Union President Tarkington | TV series | |
| 2017 | Do You Want to See a Dead Body? | Brody | TV series | |
| 2018 | American Dad! | Priest (voice) | TV series; Last role |