Josh Horowitz

Josh Horowitz
Horowitz at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2016
Born (1976-04-01) April 1, 1976 (age 50)
New York
EducationHobart and William Smith Colleges
OccupationEntertainment journalist

Joshua Horowitz (born April 1, 1976) is an American entertainment journalist and podcaster. A 1998 graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, he was a correspondent with MTV News beginning in 2006, being described as the public face of their film coverage. He hosted the 2010 digital series After Hours, produced the 2016 digital series Junketeers by Lexus and Kids at Play, and hosted the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic-based digital series Stir Crazy, all with Comedy Central, and signed an overall deal with Viacom in 2018 to develop content for their broadcast programming and digital content platforms. He hosted the digital series MTV Reunions in 2020, and hosted the digital talk show Peak Talks for Paramount+ in 2025.

Horowitz has hosted the Happy Sad Confused podcast since 2014, executive produced by Scott Porch and Kristian Harloff for Big IP Media. Initially in audio only format, it switched to video format because of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw Horowitz make use of the Zoom videoconferencing software; Horowitz prepares and researches for the show himself, and since 2023 Kast Media has marketed, distributed and monetized the series. He made a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of the 2019 film Zombieland: Double Tap. Horowitz created the 2026 online series Who's a Good Guest, where celebrities interview with Horowitz with their pets, produced by the company Bark, and he is noted for having influenced the casting of Ryan Gosling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with the 2028 film Ghost Rider.

Career

Kurt Loder
John Travolta
Horowitz hosted his first interview on MTV News when Kurt Loder (left) was unavailable to interview John Travolta (right)

Joshua Horowitz was born on April 1, 1976, and is from New York. He graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1998, majoring in English. He is Jewish, has described this part of his identity as "questionable", and never had a bar mitzvah. Horowitz's career began as a producer and a booking agent for various series. Since 2006, he has been an on-air and online correspondent for MTV News, and has been described as the "face of MTV's movie coverage" by The Washington Post. Horowitz's first interview on MTV News was with John Travolta, due to anchor Kurt Loder being unavailable that day on account of illness. He hosted the sketch comedy series After Hours on MTV.com and later on Comedy Central's digital platforms starting in 2010, which was relaunched in 2018 with the signing of an overall deal with Viacom. This deal included development for broadcast programming and digital content platforms through Viacom Digital Studios, Viacom Velocity, MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Network. Horowitz was the host of the digital series MTV Reunions, in which casts of popular TV series reunite to raise money for charity, beginning in June 2020 with the cast of Teen Wolf (2011–2017). MTV News shut down in May 2023.

Since 2014, Horowitz has been the host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. It is produced by Horowitz and executive produced by Scott Porch and Kristian Harloff for Big IP Media. He named it for the "cheesy and a little sketchy, a little odd" photo shoots that are done with the interviewees. On Happy Sad Confused, he has interviewed actors IndieWire described as "notoriously private, or rather, anti-podcast", becoming "the go-to hub for all-things pop culture" according to the publication. Horowitz said in 2024 that he has several short-form content and long-form content editors, and he servers in the capacities as producer, prepper, and researcher himself. Initially, it was in audio only format and not a video podcast, but during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was using Zoom videoconferencing software to communicate with the interviewees and transitioned because of this. In-person hosting is done at 92nd Street Y in New York City. The podcast began showing on YouTube in 2022, and in January 2023 Horowitz signed a deal with Kast Media to market, distribute and monetize the series.

In 2016, Comedy Central launched the eight-episode Junketeers produced by Horowitz and Ben Lyons with Lexus's L-Studio and Kids at Play, which stars Brian Unger, Barak Hardley, Austin Lyon, Phil Augusta Jackson and Amanda Lundref in the roles of Hollywood reporters who struggle to get quotes from film stars. In five minute episode format, the series featured cameo appearances by Josh Duhamel, Kristen Bell, Gillian Jacobs, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eli Roth, Emily Ratajkowski, Tom Felton and Matt Bomer. It premiered on Comedy Central's YouTube channel and other social media platforms. Horowitz made a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of the 2019 film Zombieland: Double Tap, in a fictional scenario where he interviews Bill Murray promoting Garfield 3. Admist the social distancing and home isolation practices of the COVID-19 pandemic, Horowitz began the digital interview series Stir Crazy with Comedy Central, which sees guests play charades and I spy. The series's guests include Will Arnett, Dan Levy, Josh Hutcherson, Ed Helms, Ricky Gervais, and Ben Schwartz.

Ryan Gosling
Kevin Feige
Horowitz influenced the casting of Ryan Gosling (left) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and helped announce it with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige (right) at the San Diego Comic-Con

Beginning in October 2025 Horowitz hosted the digital talk show Peak Talks for Paramount+, featuring conversations with actors as they ride up a virtual ski lift, with guests including stars from the shows NCIS: Tony & Ziva (2025), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present), Tulsa King (2022–present), and Landman (2024–present). Horowitz and Bark (a "dog lifestyle company", according to The Hollywood Reporter), created the 2026 online series Who's a Good Guest in which celebrities participate in an interview by Horowitz with their pets. The first season of Who's a Good Guest? premiered on February 4, 2026, featuring Dylan O'Brien and his dog Tony, and aired weekly featuring Zoey Deutch, Bob Odenkirk, Johnny Knoxville, Ginnifer Goodwin and Patrick Wilson. The second season premiered on July 22, and among the guests were Jake Johnson, Chase Stokes, and Alexandra Daddario. Horowitz was involved in the casting of Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with Ghost Rider (2028), first discussing the idea in a July 2022 interview with Gosling, later discussing talks between Gosling and Marvel Studios in a March 2026 with the actor, and eventually helping Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announce the film with Gosling in July at the San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Notes

  1. ↑ An October 2008 listing in The New York Times described him as 32 years old, and he has noted his birthday as April 1 in several Instagram posts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bergeson, Samantha (October 28, 2024). "What Does the Next 10 Years of 'Happy Sad Confused' Look Like? Josh Horowitz Is Eyeing an International Expansion". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jennifer Powers, Joshua Horowitz". The New York Times. October 11, 2008. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  3. ↑ Horowitz, Josh [@joshuahorowitz]; (April 1, 2021). "Happy birthday to me". Archived from the original on October 26, 2026. Retrieved October 26, 2026 – via Instagram.
  4. ↑ Horowitz, Josh [@joshuahorowitz]; (April 1, 2025). "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! And if this is a lie, let me have this today. It IS my birthday". Archived from the original on October 26, 2026. Retrieved October 26, 2026 – via Instagram.
  5. ↑ "MTV's Horowitz '98 Revives After Hours for Comedy Central". Hobart and William Smith Colleges. October 17, 2018. Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Bigam, Kate (December 30, 2011). "MTV After Hours: Putting Scarlett Johansson and Matt Damon to the test". Jewish Women's Archive. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2026. In this week's MTV After Hours, Jewish host Josh Horowitz ...
    Zeitlin, Alan (December 13, 2022). "Adam Sandler recounts how he wrote 'The Chanukah Song'". The Australian Jewish News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2026. [Sandler] said he was scared backstage to hear that somehow Horowitz had not had a bar mitzvah
    • Citing:
    Sandler, Adam (December 1, 2022). "Adam Sandler talks HUSTLE, Chris Farley, Jack Nicholson, & more! Happy Sad Confused". Happy Sad Confused (Interview). Interviewed by Horowitz, Josh. 92nd Street Y. Event occurs at 34:52–35:12. Archived from the original on June 21, 2026. Retrieved October 25, 2026 – via YouTube. [Horowitz:] So backstage, you were mocking my questionable Judaism ...{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. 1 2 3 Jarvey, Natalie (September 6, 2018). "MTV News' Josh Horowitz Inks Overall Deal With Viacom, Relaunches Web Series 'After Hours' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Scribner, Herb (May 9, 2023). "MTV News to shut down as Paramount announces layoffs". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Haring, Bruce (May 21, 2020). "Reunited 'Teen Wolf' Cast And Creator To Kick Off New 'MTV Reunions' Digital Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 White, Peter (January 10, 2023). "As 'Happy Sad Confused' Podcast Nears 500 Episodes, Josh Horowitz Strikes Deal With Kast Media". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 7, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  11. ↑ Spangler, Tood (August 4, 2016). "Comedy Central Launches Hollywood-Junket Spoof Digital Series". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  12. ↑ Doty, Meriah (August 12, 2026). "Scenes From Press Junkets Gone Bad: a Bathroom Protest, Tom Hardy Dust-Up and a Disappearance". TheWrap. Archived from the original on April 12, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ Lussier, Germain (October 21, 2019). "The Zombieland: Double Tap Credit Scene Was Originally Completely Different". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  14. ↑ Beresford, Trilby (April 3, 2020). "Josh Horowitz Launches Digital Interview Series 'Stir Crazy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 9, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Harris, Raquel (March 20, 2026). "Ryan Gosling Hints at Ghost Rider Talks With Marvel, Calls Situation 'Complicated' | Video". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 28, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (July 25, 2026). "Ryan Gosling to Star in Ghost Rider Movie for Marvel Studios, Director Shawn Levy". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 30, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  17. ↑ McPherson, Chris (October 2, 2025). "Paramount Launches New Talk Show 'Peak Talk' With Josh Horowitz and Kicks Off With a "Tiva" Interview [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  18. 1 2 Taylor, Drew (February 2, 2026). "Josh Horowitz and Bark Team for 'Who's a Good Guest?' With Bob Odenkirk, Johnny Knoxville and Dylan O'Brien | Exclusive". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 10, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Zeitchik, Steven (June 30, 2026). "Dog Podcast 'Who's a Good Guest?' Is Becoming Celebrities' Favorite Pit Stop". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  20. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (July 25, 2022). "Ryan Gosling Reportedly Wants to Play Ghost Rider, and Kevin Feige Would Love Him in the MCU". IGN. Archived from the original on August 28, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.