Jimmy Pardo
{{pp-pc1}}
{{short description|American comedian}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name = Jimmy Pardo
| image = Jimmy Pardo.jpg
| caption = Pardo performing at MaxFunCon 2009 in Lake Arrowhead, California
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = James Ronald Pardo, Jr.
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| medium = Stand-up comedy, television, film, podcast
| nationality =
| genre = Observational comedy, crowd work, insult comedy
| subject = Popular culture, American culture
| spouse = Danielle Koenig
| children = 1
| relatives = {{ubl|Walter Koenig
(father-in-law)|Andrew Koenig
(brother-in-law)}}
| notable_work = Never Not Funny
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
Conan
| signature =
| website = [http://www.jimmypardo.com/ JimmyPardo.com]
| active = 1988–present
}}
James Ronald Pardo, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the comedy podcast Never Not Funny. From the show's inception until mid-2015, he performed as the Conan O'Brien program Conan's warm-up comedian and cast member, after which he received a general development deal with O'Brien's production company. He last hosted the game show Race to Escape on the Science Channel.
Early life
Pardo was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his first 8 years living on the south side, eventually moving to the south suburbs of Chicago. He spent his grade school years living in Hometown, Illinois. In 1980, his family moved to Oak Forest, Illinois, where he attended Oak Forest High School. In 1986, he moved to Pasadena, California, to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (‘87). He attended for one year, then returned to Chicago to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.
Career
In late 1988, Pardo started performing at open mics at various venues around Chicago, including The Roxy, The Last Laugh and The Comedy Cottage. The plethora of successful comedy clubs in the area at that time meant Pardo started earning money almost immediately, allowing him to quit his day job as a sales rep for MCA Records.{{cite web |last=Israel |first=David K. |date=April 30, 2009 |url=http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/25118 |title=Creatively Speaking: Jimmy Pardo |website=Mental Floss |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615073250/http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/25118 |archive-date=June 15, 2011 }}
He has hosted such TV shows as Science Channel’s critically acclaimed Race To Escape,{{Cite news |last=Justin |first=Neal |date=25 July 2015 |title=Critic's Picks |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A423305344/STND?u=geneseo&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=a38a1041 |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |work=Star Tribune [Minneapolis, MN] |pages=6E}} National Lampoon’s Funny Money for Game Show Network,{{Cite news |last=Donahue |first=Ann |date=13 March 2003 |title=Game Show, Lampoon to launch 'Funny Money' |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A99460338/STND?u=geneseo&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=193d9746 |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |work=Daily Variety |pages=33}}{{Cite news |last=Dempsey |first=John |date=21 May 2003 |title=Game Show net printing more 'Money' |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A102815572/STND?u=geneseo&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=1b3960a2 |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |work=Daily Variety |pages=4}} five seasons of AMC’s Movies at Our House, with co-host Rachel Quaintance, and episodes of NBC’s Late Friday, VH1’s The Surreal Life, and The Playboy Morning Show.
Pardo was the warm-up comedian for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien after being suggested by Andy Richter.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/how-the-bob-and-tom-show-made-jimmy-pardo/Content?oid=4534638 |title=How the Bob & Tom Show Made Jimmy Pardo |last=Johnson |first=Seth |work=Nuvo |date=January 25, 2017}} He has returned as the opening act for Conan,{{cite web |url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41201 |title=No Couch For Richter?? A Report From A TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN Test Show!! |website=Ain't It Cool News |date=May 27, 2009}} and appeared in a recurring on-air sketch throughout the week of April 11, 2011.[http://video.teamcoco.com/video/conan.jsp?oid=248567&eref=sharethisUrl "Andy's Sidekick 04/11/11"]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Team Coco. April 12, 2011. In May 2011, he began conducting backstage interviews with celebrity guests for a web series called "The Pardo Patrol."[http://teamcoco.com/pardopatrol "The Pardo Patrol"]. TeamCoco.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
After doing live talk and game shows at such alternative comedy venues as the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, Jimmy Pardo began the podcast Never Not Funny in 2006 at the urging of now-producer Matt Belknap. The show is in its thirty-first season{{cite web |title=Never Not Funny |url=https://www.nevernotfunny.com/ |access-date=4 January 2023}}[http://pardcast.com/blog/ "Never Not Funny"]. pardcast.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013. and places Pardo among the earliest founders of podcasting. An acknowledged podcasting "pioneer," he has been honored as a "Podfather" by fellow comedian and podcaster Greg Proops.{{cite web |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/05/jimmy-pardo-is-conans-warm-up-guy-and-podcast-pioneer.html | title=Jimmy Pardo is Conan's warm-up guy -- and podcast pioneer |website=Los Angeles Times |date=May 13, 2011 }}{{Cite news |last=Proops |first=Greg |date=27 November 2011 |title=GUESTLIST; The web's funniest podcasts, by Greg Proops. |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A273458929/STND?u=geneseo&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=4aac86e8 |url-status=live |work=Sunday Telegraph [London, England] |pages=5}} Pardo's show, Never Not Funny, primarily features fellow comedians in improvised conversations. Many of his guests have gone on to host their own podcasts, including Conan O'Brien, Marc Maron, Scott Aukerman, and Sarah Silverman.
In 2012, Pardo hosted a six episode run of the Nerdist web show Write Now! with Jimmy Pardo.{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Bradford |date=31 October 2012 |title=Watch Jimmy Pardo’s New Nerdist Web Show ‘Write Now!’ Right Now |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/10/watch-jimmy-pardos-new-nerdist-web-show-write-now-right-now.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |website=Vulture (New York Magazine)}} Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club called it "a next-level online roast and a fantastic showcase for its host’s quick wit."{{Cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan |date=29 October 2012 |title=Watch the premiere episode of Jimmy Pardo's new Nerdist webseries "Write Now!" |url=https://www.avclub.com/watch-the-premiere-episode-of-jimmy-pardos-new-nerdist-1798234273 |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |website=The A.V. Club}}
From 2009 to 2024, Pardo hosted an annual 12-hour live telethon charity fundraiser, the Pardcast-A Thon, for Smile Train, an international children's charity to help children with cleft lip and palate. Over fifteen years, the annual telethon event raised almost $2 million.{{Cite web |date=28 June 2024 |title=After 15 Years, Pardcast-A-Thon Hangs Up the Mic |url=https://www.smiletrain.org/2024/06/28/after-15-years-pardcast-thon-hangs-mic |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |website=Smile Train}}
In 2017, Pardo and Matt Belknap launched an additional podcast, Playing Games with Jimmy Pardo.{{cite web |url=https://www.earwolf.com/show/playing-games/ |title=Playing Games with Jimmy Pardo podcast on Earwolf |access-date=2018-10-14 |archive-date=2018-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014164918/https://www.earwolf.com/show/playing-games/ |url-status=dead}}
In 2019, Pardo, Matt Belknap, and videographer Eliot Hochberg began releasing the web series Jimmy's Records and Tapes on YouTube. Episodes feature Pardo talking about what went on in his life during a particular year while highlighting music and trivia regarding said year.{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhoHQBAh708x5iGBnre6DKRJP5mLfk7P9 |title=Jimmy's Records and Tapes - YouTube |website=YouTube}}
Pardo has released three comedy albums: Uno (2001), Pompous Clown (2007), and Sprezzatura (2013).{{Cite web |title=JIMMY PARDO |url=https://astrecords.com/pages/jimmy-pardo |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2025 |website=A Special Thing Records}}{{cite web |last=Dowling |first=Kyle |date=January 23, 2013 |title=Comedian Jimmy Pardo Wins With "Sprezzatura" |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kyle-dowling/comedian-jimmy-pardo-disc_b_3990624.html |website=The Huffington Post}} He performs with Scott Aukerman on 2008's Never Not Christmas – A Holiday E.P.
Personal life
Pardo is married to comedy writer Danielle Koenig,{{IMDb name |id=nm0462814 |name=Danielle Koenig}} daughter of actor Walter Koenig.
They have one son named Oliver.{{Cite web|url=http://www.earwolf.com/episode/jimmy-and-oliver-pardo-father-son-hamilheads/|title = Jimmy and Oliver Pardo: Father-Son Hamilheads, episode #21 of Private: The Room Where It's Happening: A Hamilton Fan Podcast on Earwolf}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb name | id = 1107058}}
- [http://www.jimmypardo.com Jimmy Pardo's Website]
- Jimmy Pardo on [https://twitter.com/jimmypardo Twitter]
- [http://www.pardcast.com/ Jimmy Pardo's "Never Not Funny" Podcast]
{{Never Not Funny}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardo, Jimmy}}
Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
Category:American game show hosts
Category:American comedy podcasters
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:Male actors from Chicago
Category:People from Cook County, Illinois
Category:Comedians from Chicago
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:People from Oak Forest, Illinois