# Billy Eichner

Billy Eichner (/ˈaɪknər/ IKE-nər; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and television show host. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny or Die's Billy on the Street, a comedy game show that aired on truTV.

## Early life and education

Eichner is a native of Queens and grew up in Forest Hills, the son of Debbie, who worked for a phone company, and Jay Eichner, a rent tax auditor. He was born to a Jewish family and had a Madonna-themed bar mitzvah. He has an older half-brother. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1996, and from Northwestern University in 2000 with a BS in Theater. Actor Robin Lord Taylor was his college roommate.

## Career

Eichner gained attention as the host and writer of Creation Nation: A Live Talk Show, a critically acclaimed stage show in New York. He landed a Bravo web series called My Life on the Z-List: Jen's Vlog that was an online companion to Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List and was a co-host on the Bravo television pilot Joan Rivers' Straight Talk, where Rivers discussed topics with four gay men. He appeared on Conan as a special correspondent in original video shorts.
In 2011, Eichner starred in the show Billy on the Street. The show initially aired on Fuse, before moving to truTV. It was created within Funny or Die, and is now available on Max and the TruTV app. It had a final run of short-form episodes across digital platforms in association with Lyft. In it, Eichner manically roams the streets of New York City, asking unsuspecting pedestrians trivia questions, often accompanied by celebrity guests.
On August 5, 2013, Eichner guest starred in the sixth season of Parks and Recreation. Eichner's first episode aired on October 10, 2013. He stars as Donna's Eagleton counterpart, Craig Middlebrooks, who joins the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department when Pawnee absorbs Eagleton. He became a series regular in episode four of the seventh season of the show.
During the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards show in 2014, Eichner appeared with host Seth Meyers on the streets of New York, interviewing random people.
Eichner starred in the Hulu original series Difficult People, with Julie Klausner. It was executive produced by Amy Poehler. Though originally set up for USA Network, the series began airing on Hulu in August 2015.
In 2016, Eichner appeared in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, released May 20. In 2017, he joined the cast of American Horror Story for recurring roles in its seventh and eighth seasons.
In 2019, Eichner provided the voice of Timon in Disney's live action remake of The Lion King, from director Jon Favreau. Eichner said that Timon is "such a great role that allows you to do so much. But... the bigger the project and the bigger the names that you're working with, the more you have to ignore it. If you get to the soundstage and you're thinking, 'Oh my God, what a full-circle moment! Nathan Lane did it originally! Beyoncé's in this!' then you're paralyzed creatively. You just have to put that out of your head in order to get the job done."
In July 2020, Eichner announced that he and Tom McNulty were developing a film biography of fellow Northwestern University alum Paul Lynde called Man in the Box, with Eichner portraying Lynde.
In March 2021, Eichner announced that he was writing and starring in the film Bros, which tells the story of two gay men with commitment issues who decide to settle down with each other. In August, Amazon Studios announced that they had bought the rights to develop the film Ex-Husbands, starring Eichner and co-written by him and Paul Rudnick. Bros was critically well-received but a box-office disappointment, which Eichner attributed to "straight people, especially in certain parts of the country" not going to see the film.
In 2024, Eichner reprised his role as the voice of Timon in Mufasa: The Lion King.

## Personal life

Eichner is Jewish and gay. He lives in Los Angeles.
Eichner is a Democrat. On February 1, 2018, Eichner announced a new initiative called Glam Up the Midterms, during that night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in conjunction with Funny or Die and with the support of several late night hosts including Sarah Silverman, James Corden, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, Chelsea Handler, Robin Thede, and Andy Cohen. Glam Up the Midterm's purpose was getting people to vote in the November 6 midterms, especially millennials, of whom only 12% voted in the previous midterm election. Eichner joined the progressive political organization Swing Left as senior advisor starting in 2019 and endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | What Happens in Vegas | Band Leader | |
| 2010 | The Charlie Sheen Is Too Damn High | Timmy McMillan | Short film |
| 2013 | Glitter and Ribs | Taylor Swift | Short film |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | New York Reporter | Voice |
| 2015 | Sleeping With Other People | SLAA Speaker | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Chef Pig / Phillip | Voice |
| 2016 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Oliver Studebaker | |
| 2018 | Most Likely to Murder | Speigel | |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Timon | Voice |
| 2019 | Noelle | Gabriel Kringle | |
| 2022 | Bros | Bobby Lieber | Also writer |
| 2024 | Mufasa: The Lion King | Timon | Voice |
| 2025 | Honey Don't! | TBA | Post-production |

### Television and web

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Joan Rivers' Straight Talk | Himself (co-host) | Unaired Bravo pilot |
| 2007 | My Life on the Z-List: Jen's Vlog | Jen | Web series supporting Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List |
| 2011–2017 | Billy on the Street | Himself (host) | Also creator and executive producer |
| 2013–2015 | Parks and Recreation | Craig Middlebrooks | 17 episodes |
| 2013–2021 | Bob's Burgers | Mr. Ambrose | Voice, 13 episodes |
| 2014 | The Millers | Leon | Episode: "Movin' Out (Carol's Song)" |
| 2014 | New Girl | Barry | Episode: "LAXmas" |
| 2015 | The Awesomes | The Gayfather (voice) | Episode: "The Gayfather" |
| 2015–2017 | Difficult People | Billy Epstein | 28 episodes |
| 2016 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Himself | Episode: "Retirement Plans and Financial Advisors" |
| 2016 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Himself | Episode: "Kimmy Meets a Drunk Lady!" |
| 2016 | Hairspray Live! | Rob Barker | Television special |
| 2017 | Carpool Karaoke: The Series | Himself | Episode: "Billy Eichner & Metallica" |
| 2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Harrison Wilton | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Tex Watson | Episode: "Charles (Manson) in Charge" |
| 2017–2019 | Friends from College | Dr. Felix Forzenheim | 13 episodes |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself | Episode: "Cher: The Unauthorized Rusical" |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Brock | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Mutt Nutter | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Family Guy | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Pawtucket Pete" |
| 2018–2022 | Billy on the Street | Billy | Web series |
| 2018, 2023 | The Simpsons | Billy (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Green Eggs and Ham | Walter Bigman (voice) | Episode: "Boat" |
| 2020 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself – Guest Host | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special | Elf Billy | Christmas special |
| 2021 | Impeachment: American Crime Story | Matt Drudge | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Dickinson | Walt Whitman | Episode: "This is my letter to the World" |
| 2024 | Dinner Time Live with David Chang | Himself | Episoode: " Thanksgiving in 45 Minutes" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2013 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Game Show Host | Billy on the Street | Nominated |
| 2015 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program | Billy on the Street | Nominated |
| 2016 | Webby Awards | Online Film & Video: Comedy, Individual Short or Episode | Billy on the Street | Won |
| 2016 | Dorian Awards | Wilde Wit of the Year | Billy on the Street | Nominated |
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Sketch Series | Billy on the Street | Nominated |