Personal details
Height:
6′ 5″ (1.96 m)
Pete Holmes
Peter Benedict Holmes (born March 30, 1979) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster known for his cheerful disposition and introspective comedy. Raised in Lexington, Massachusetts, by a mother who was a Lithuanian refugee and a father of Irish descent, Holmes attended Gordon College, where he studied English and Communications. During his college years, he performed in a punk rock band and joined the improv troupe The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen. Originally intending to become a youth pastor, his path shifted toward public speaking and eventually stand-up comedy. He moved through the comedy scenes in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, initially finding work on the Christian comedy circuit and appearing on VH1’s Best Week Ever and as the voice of the E-Trade baby in popular commercials. His career reached a breakthrough in the early 2010s with the launch of his popular podcast, "You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes," where he engages in deep, often two-hour-long conversations with fellow comedians and spiritual figures about comedy, sex, and religion. This success led to his own late-night program, The Pete Holmes Show, which aired on TBS for two seasons following Conan. Holmes gained further acclaim as the creator and star of the semi-autobiographical HBO series Crashing (2017–2019). Produced by Judd Apatow, the show was inspired by Holmes’ own life, specifically the dissolution of his first marriage at age 28 and his subsequent years "crashing" on the couches of established comedians while trying to make it in the New York scene. In addition to his television work, Holmes is a prolific stand-up comedian with several specials, including Nice Try, the Devil (2013), Faces and Sounds (2016), and his most recent, I Am Not For Everyone (2023). He has authored a memoir titled Comedy Sex God (2019), which details his spiritual evolution from a strict Evangelical upbringing to what he describes as a "Christ-leaning spiritual seeker" or "hooraytheist." More recently, he starred in the CBS sitcom How We Roll and has provided voice work for The Simpsons and Ugly Americans. Personally, Holmes is a vegan and stands 6'6" tall, a trait he frequently references in his act. He married his second wife, Valerie Chaney, in 2017, and the couple has one daughter.
