Bryan Callen

Bryan Callen
Callen in April 2011
Born
Bryan Christopher Callen

(1967-01-26) January 26, 1967 (age 59)
Manila, Philippines
Citizenship
    • United States
    • Philippines
EducationAmerican University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • television personality
  • podcaster
Years active1995–present
Notable work
Spouse
Amanda Humphrey
​
​
(m. 2008; div. 2021)​
[citation needed]
Comedy career
Medium
Genres

Bryan Christopher Callen (born January 26, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. He studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Born on a military base in Philippines and some time later his family moved to Gill, Massachusetts, Callen initiated his career as one of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv. Callen played Coach Mellor in The Goldbergs and reprised the role as a main character in the Goldbergs spinoff series Schooled. He is also a co-host of The Fighter and the Kid podcast, alongside Brendan Schaub.

Early life

Callen was born on a military base in Manila, Philippines. He is the son of American parents, Victoria Callen (née Sclafani) and Michael A. Callen. Because of his father's career as an international banker, Callen lived overseas until he was fourteen years old, including in the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Greece and Saudi Arabia. He graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon High School in Gill, Massachusetts in 1985. He then attended American University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in History. He is of Italian and Irish descent.[non-primary source needed]

Career

MADtv (1995–1997) and other television projects

Callen was one of the eight original cast members when MADtv debuted in 1995. Callen's characters included Pool Boy from Cabana Chat with Dixie Wetsworth, motivational speaker Al Casdy, and "relationship-challenged" death row inmate Jeremy Anderson. Callen also performed impressions of Bill Clinton, Robert De Niro, Al Gore, Luke Perry, Steven Seagal, Sammy Hagar, Kevin Bacon, Jim Carrey, Ted Knight and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.

Callen has guest starred on television series such as Entourage, NewsRadio, Oz, Frasier, Suddenly Susan, NYPD Blue, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI, 7th Heaven, Rude Awakening, Less than Perfect, The King of Queens, Sex and the City, Kingdom, Stacked, Las Vegas, Reba, Fat Actress, Californication and How I Met Your Mother.

Callen played Ricky's sexually abusive father on The Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family. He also made frequent appearances on Chelsea Lately. He hosted the E! show Bank of Hollywood, and currently appears as a commentator of The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... on truTV.

Callen also played the role of Coach Mellor in The Goldbergs and its spinoff series Schooled. The pilot aired on January 24, 2018. The spinoff was picked up for a 13-episode order for the fall, 2018 television season.

Callen co-wrote and co-starred in Dream Crushers with Will Sasso, Sara Rue, and Scott Thompson. The series was shot in 2009 but unaired until 2011. He appeared with Melinda Hill in an episode of the 2012–13 web series Romantic Encounters.

Ten Minute Podcast

Beginning on February 20, 2012, Callen and fellow actors and comedians Will Sasso and Chris D'Elia began the Ten Minute Podcast. Tommy Blacha and Chad Kultgen later replaced Callen and D'Elia.

The Fighter and the Kid

Callen currently cohosts a podcast titled The Fighter and the Kid with Brendan Schaub, and producers Chin and Nick. The podcast formerly focused on the realm of mixed martial arts, but since their departure from Fox Sports, they regularly discuss pop culture and current events as well.

Schaub and Callen performed the podcast live on a national tour in 2016. The tour included such venues as The Vic Theatre (Chicago), Gramercy Theatre (New York City), and Wilbur Theatre (Boston); culminating at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

In 2016 Schaub and Callen released The Fighter and the Kid 3D. The twelve episode digital download series features sketch comedy pieces based on the duo's podcast personas.

Schaub and Callen regularly appear alongside Joe Rogan during live event broadcasts, such as the UFC and Glory Kickboxing, for what is called the Fight Companion. They also appeared on the MTV show Ridiculousness, hosted by Rob Dyrdek, in June 2016.

In September 2023, Schaub and Callen publicly stated that Kast Media and its CEO Colin Thomson owed their production company $1.5-1.6 million dollars. Similar claims were made by Jim Cornette followed by Theo Von, Jason Ellis, Whitney Cummings, and Alyx Weiss, who stated they were owed money by Kast Media, including several six-figure and seven-figure shortages. This was in the process of an acquisition of Kast Media by PodcastOne, where Thomson was offering creators partial reimbursement combined with stock options. Amid the news, LiveOne and PodcastOne stock dropped considerably and the company no longer planned to officially hire Thomson. LiveOne took out a high-interest loan to pay Schaub and Callen, but did not compensate other creators.

Stand-up comedy

Callen headlines his solo stand up comedy act at venues across the United States. In early 2016 he released Never Grow Up which was recorded live at the Irvine Improv in April, 2015. Never Grow Up was released online in conjunction with The Fighter and the Kid 3D Web series. he released a special in 2019 called Complicated Apes. In 2022, he released his special “Man tears” on his YouTube channel. In October 2025, he released his special "FALSE GODS" on his YouTube channel.

Other

In March 2023, Callen and fellow comedian Nick DiPaolo and Josh Firestine joined Steven Crowder on his network, Mug Club, to stream on Rumble.

Sexual misconduct allegations

On July 31, 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported that four women, including actress Kathryn Fiore, told the newspaper that Callen mistreated them and described incidents of sexual misconduct including rape, assault, and disturbing comments that date back to 1999. In a tweet, Callen denied the accusations. He also released a long form video on Instagram and YouTube vehemently denying all allegations.

Callen filed a lawsuit against Fiore and her husband, Gabriel Tigerman. In January 2021, Judge Monica Bachner ruled in the couple's favor, stating that Callen "did not meet his burden of demonstrating a probability of prevailing on his claim."

Filmography

Comedy specials

YearTitleNotes
2012Man ClassOnline
2016Never Grow UpOnline
2019Complicated ApesOnline
2022Man TearsOnline
2025 FALSE GODS Online

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995Mail BondingPoet
1998Driven to DrinkBartender
2002Live from BaghdadAmerican Hostage No. 2
2003Deliver Us from EvaTheo Wilson
Bad SantaBar Owner
The GoldfishDuncan Poole
Old SchoolAvi
2005D-WARDr. Austin
2006Scary Movie 4President's Aide
2007I Do & I Don'tBob
2008Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of ControlHoward
2009The HangoverEddie Palermos
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard.Jason Big Ups
2010The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About ItAndy
2011The Hangover Part IISamir
WarriorHimself
Division III: Football's FinestDenny Dawson
201310 Rules for Sleeping AroundOwen Manners
2014Ride AlongMiggs
About Last NightTrent
Planes: Fire & RescueAvalancheVoice Cameo
Walk of ShameDealer
My Man Is a LoserPaul
2016Range 15Guard Callen
2019JokerJavier
No Safe SpacesHimself
2020Think Like a DogAgent Callen

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995–1997 MADtv Various Characters 42 episodes
1998 NewsRadio Russ Garrelli 1 episode
Oz Jonathan Coushaine 7 episodes
1999 Frasier The Chicken Episode: "Radio Wars"
2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Derrick Pfeiffer Episode: "Risk"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Barry Yoder Episode: "Last Laugh"
Sex and the City Howie Halberstein Episode: "The Catch"
2004 The West Wing Louis Episode: "Disaster Relief"
Significant Others Bob 3 episodes
2004–2006 7th Heaven George "Vic" Vickery 9 episodes
2005 Fat Actress Eddie Falcone 7 episodes
The King of Queens Jared Episode: "Like Hell"
Reba Buzzard Episode: "Invasion"
2006–2009 How I Met Your Mother Bilson 6 episodes
2006–2007 Entourage Rob Rubino 2 episodes
2008–2014 World's Dumbest... Himself 77 episodes
2009 The Secret Life of the American Teenager Bob Underwood 2 episodes
2009–2010 Bank of Hollywood Host 8 episodes
2010 CSI: Miami Kent Episode: "Getting Axed"
I'm in the Band Bleed Episode: "Bleed Guitarist"
2011–2012 In Plain Sight Mark 8 episodes
2011 Death Valley Capt. Frank Dashell 12 episodes
2012 Californication Cop Episode: "The Ride Along"
2014–2017 Kingdom Garo Kassabian 14 episodes
2014–2020 The Goldbergs Coach Mellor 42 episodes
2016 2 Broke Girls Tony Episode: "And The Booth Babes"
2019–2020 Schooled Coach Mellor 34 episodes

Notes

References

  1. ↑ LoBrutto, Vincent (2018). TV in the USA: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 81. ISBN 9781440829734. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Twitter" – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Rose, Mike (26 January 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 26, 2023 includes celebrities Sasha Banks, Ellen DeGeneres". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. ↑ "Bryan Callen on the Beverly Hills Playhouse Acting School". Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 Leitereg, Neal J. (10 November 2016). "'MADtv's' Bryan Callen snaps up a newly built contemporary in Santa Monica". Los Angeles Times.
  6. 1 2 Goldberg, Lesley (8 January 2018). "'The Goldbergs' 1990s-Set Pilot to Air on ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Brendan Schaub reflects on Joe Rogan intervention: 'I was trying not to cry'". 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  8. ↑ "The Fighter & The Kid". Radiopublic.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  9. ↑ David, Mark (7 July 2014). "Comedian Bryan Callen Snags Snoozy Calabasas Crib". Variety.
  10. ↑ "EP35 Riffin With Bryan Callen". 16 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "MADtv's Bryan Callen looks back on a life on the move". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. 2 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "Bryan Callen: Comic abroad (Interview)". LEO Weekly. 7 October 2015.
  13. ↑ Gadino, Dylan P. (16 June 2011). "Interview: Bryan Callen– comedian, actor, zombie killer". Laughspin.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  14. ↑ "I'm Italian. To my core. I burn with... – Bryan Callen Fan Page". 14 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2019 – via Facebook.
  15. ↑ "Bryan Callen on Instagram: "I'm an Italian soccer player. Please recognize."". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "Align Podcast". Alignpodcast.libsyn.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Molly (12 January 2016). "Here's what happened to every single 'MADtv' cast member". Splinternews.com.
  18. ↑ "The Fighter and the Kid hug it out with 'Entourage' star Jeremy Piven". Fox Sports. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Joe Rogan Experience Episode 1045 with Bryan Callen – JREfan.com". Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 "PopEntertainment.com: Bryan Callen interview about 'The Bryan Callen Show.'". Popentertainment.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  21. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (22 December 2010). "20 Things You Didn't Know About Secret Life". Wetpaint.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  22. ↑ Meetinghouse Web (23 July 2013). "Bryan Callen Has A Message!". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2019 – via YouTube.
  23. ↑ David, Mark (7 July 2014). "Comedian Bryan Callen Snags Snoozy Calabasas Crib". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  24. ↑ Gray, Ellen (9 January 2018). "'Goldbergs' spinoff pilot to air on ABC – could this be a second chance?". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  25. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (16 April 2018). "'The Goldbergs' Spinoff Picked Up To Series By ABC With Tim Meadows, Bryan Callen & AJ Michalka Set To Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  26. ↑ Sasso, Will. "Dream Crushers". Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  27. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (26 June 2013). "Melinda Hill Seeking 'Romantic Encounters' On My Damn Channel Network". Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  28. ↑ Will Sasso (20 February 2012). "The 10 Minute Podcast". Tenminutepodcast.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  29. ↑ Will Sasso (22 November 2016). "The 10 Minute Podcast". Tenminutepodcast.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  30. ↑ "Onnit Labs – Total Human Optimization". Onnit.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  31. ↑ "The Fighter & The Kid announce national tour". Axs.com. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  32. ↑ ""The Fighter and the Kid" 3D". iTunes Store. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  33. ↑ "Ridiculousness – Bryan Callen & Brendan Schaub". MTV. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  34. ↑ "Kast Media accused of "not paying creators"". podnews.net. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  35. ↑ Brooks, Dave (9 September 2023). "PodcastOne Public Listing Collides With Viral Takedown Video From Comedian Theo Von". Billboard. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  36. ↑ Carman, Ashley (14 September 2023). "A Fight Over Missing Ad Money Roils the Podcast Industry". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  37. ↑ Khalid, Amrita (14 September 2023). "Why everyone in the podcast world is mad at Kast Media's Colin Thomson". The Verge. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  38. ↑ Brooks, Dave (28 September 2023). "PodcastOne Paid Brendan Schaub $1.6M, While Other Kast Podcasters Were Asked to Accept Pay Cuts". Billboard. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  39. ↑ "Bryan Callen Events". Bryancallen.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  40. ↑ "Bryan Callen's New Special Now Available". Mma-core.com. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  41. ↑ "Bryan Callen: Never Grow Up". Tfatk3d.com. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  42. ↑ "Steven Crowder Signs Bryan Callen, Nick DiPaolo, MrGunsNGear, and Josh Firestine to Mug Club" (Press release). Retrieved 7 August 2023 – via Yahoo! Finance.
  43. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (31 July 2020). "Actor Bryan Callen accused of sexual assault, misconduct". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  44. ↑ Petski, Denise (31 July 2020). "Comedian Bryan Callen Denies Rape & Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Amy Schumer Sends Message Of Support To Accusers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  45. ↑ Wright, Megh (3 August 2020). "4 Women Accuse Comedian Bryan Callen of Sexual Assault and Misconduct". Vulture. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  46. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (1 April 2021). "Bryan Callen gives up effort to sue husband of woman who claims comedian raped her". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  47. ↑ Bryan Callen (15 October 2025). Bryan Callen – FALSE GODS (Full Comedy Special) | Live at Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership. Retrieved 17 October 2025 – via YouTube.
  48. ↑ "Joker Origin Movie Set Photos Show Male Stripper". Inverse.con. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  49. ↑ Schultz, Marisa (29 January 2018). "Tim Allen joins docudrama taking down PC culture".