Joel McHale, Patton Oswalt Neilson Barnard/Getty Images; Corey Nickols/Getty Images
Joel McHale is replacing Patton Oswalt as the host of The 1% Club after the game show’s move to Fox.
“I am 1,000,000 percent excited to be partnering with Fox to host The 1% Club,” McHale, 53, said in a statement on Thursday, January 23. “I absolutely love the show and love the game play to the 10𝑥 and guarantee my hair, makeup and wardrobe will look great at least 68 percent of the time.”
President of Fox Television Network Michael Thorn addressed the network’s newest acquisition from Prime Video, adding, “Joel’s outstanding comedic timing and hosting charm already make him a standout talent here at Fox, and now — building on The 1% Club‘s strong first year on the network — we’re bringing his unrivaled energy, irreverence and charisma to season 2. We look forward to expanding on our successful relationship with Joel and continuing our partnership with the incredible production teams at BBC Studios and Magnum.”
Based on an international format created by Dean Nabarro and Andy Auerbach, The 1% Club is a quiz competition series that was renewed for season 2. Each episode begins with 100 contestants who face elimination while answering questions meant to measure logic, reasoning skills and common sense. The goal is to make it to the end and win a $100,000 prize by answering a question only 1 percent of the country can get right.
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“99 percent of us are unfortunately not as funny as Joel McHale, which makes him the perfect host for The 1% Club,” president of unscripted at BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions Ryan O’Dowd shared in his own statement. “His unmatched approach to comedy is innately unpredictable and will take audiences on a thrill-ride as they watch him in action with our contestants, striving to put their wits to the test.”
Contestant April and Joel McHale on ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ FOX
The statement continued: “The 1% Club has proven to be a massive global hit, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Rob Wade, Michael Thorn and the talented and passionate team at Fox who believe in this show and in our shared vision for this new season.”
Before the new gig, McHale rose to stardom for his role as Jeff in NBC’s Community. He transitioned to hosting with opportunities such as The Soup, House of Villains and Crime Scene Kitchen. McHale has also remained booked and busy in the scripted space with a lead role on Fox’s Animal Control, a guest spot on The Bear, an unspecified arc on Yellowjackets, and a part in the newest Scream movie.
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McHale recently spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about striving to make the environment lighthearted on Crime Scene Kitchen.
“Oh well, I’ve had people go, ‘Joel, thank you so much. Do you mind leaving the kitchen now?’ That has happened way more than once, and my wife has said it to me multiple times,” McHale told Us in September 2024. “I try to learn about them, I found out about where they’re from and … try to get them into conversations while they’re cooking. It really has happened where they’ve been like, ‘Joel, I gotta do some measuring, so can you stop talking to me for a second?’”
He added: “Obviously, there’s lots of drama but I try to keep it light and throw in as many jokes as I can.”
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