Adam Carolla Adam Carolla ( born May 27 , 1964 ) is an American radio personality , television host , comedian , and actor . He hosts " The Adam Carolla Show " , a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the " most downloaded podcast " as judged by Guinness World Records . Carolla co - hosted the syndicated radio call - in program " Loveline " from 1995 to 2005 as well as the show ' s television incarnation on MTV from 1996 to 2000 . He was the co - host and co - creator of the television program " The Man Show " ( 1999 – 2004 ) , and the co - creator and a regular performer on the television show " Crank Yankers " ( 2002 – 2007 ) . He hosted " The Adam Carolla Project " , a home improvement television program which aired on TLC in 2005 and " The Car Show " on Speed TV in 2011 . Carolla has also appeared on the network reality television programs " Dancing with the Stars " and " The Celebrity Apprentice " . His book , " In Fifty Years We ' ll All Be Chicks " , debuted on " The New York Times " Best Seller list in 2010 , and his second book " Not Taco Bell Material " also reached New York Times bestseller status and received widespread acclaim for its cutting social commentary and humor . An outspoken commentator on various social , political and religious issues , Carolla has made numerous guest appearances on political talk shows , ranging from Bill Maher ' s " Politically Incorrect " to Bill O ' Reilly ' s " The O ' Reilly Factor " , on which he headlines the weekly segment " Rollin ' with Carolla " . Early life . Adam Carolla was born in Los Angeles , California . His father , Jim Carolla , a psychologist of Italian heritage , and his mother , Kris ( née McCall ) , separated when Adam was young . Carolla was not given a middle name ; on his driver ' s license application he filled the " middle name " blank with " Lakers " ( after his love for the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team ) and the made - up name still appears on his license . His maternal step - grandfather was screenwriter László Görög , who wrote " The Mole People " . Adam was raised in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles . He attended Colfax Elementary School , Walter Reed Junior High , and North Hollywood High School . Carolla did not receive his high school diploma until years later as it was held by the school until a library fine was paid . Carolla can be seen paying off the book and receiving his diploma in an episode of his 2005 television show , " The Adam Carolla Project " . During his earlier years , Carolla played Pop Warner football for seven years ; he later suggested that being involved in sports saved him from a chaotic home life . During his senior year at North Hollywood High School , Carolla distinguished himself in football . In December 1981 , he was named to the First Team Offensive Line , Central Valley League , one of 8 leagues at the time in the LA City Section of the California Interscholastic Federation . He began living on his own at the age of 18 . He briefly attended Los Angeles Valley College , a community college , where he was placed on academic probation before dropping out to work in a series of jobs , including carpet cleaner , carpenter , boxing instructor , and traffic school instructor . Although broke , Carolla and his friends and roommates owned a 1963 Cadillac limousine . In the early 1990s Carolla studied improvisational comedy with The Groundlings and was a member of the ACME Comedy Theatre troupe . Radio . In 1994 , Carolla volunteered his services as a boxing trainer to prepare Jimmy Kimmel for a bout being staged by KROQ - FM ' s morning radio program " Kevin and Bean " . Kimmel was a regular on the show as " Jimmy the Sports Guy " and he was set to fight another KROQ personality in a boxing exhibition which was being billed as the " Bleeda in Reseda . " Carolla parlayed this opportunity into a long - running friendship and business partnership with Kimmel as well as a recurring role on " Kevin and Bean " as cranky woodshop teacher , Mr . Birchum . Loveline . After being signed to the William Morris Agency by Mark Itkin , Carolla was offered the job of co - hosting the radio call - in show " Loveline " with physician Drew Pinsky , a . k . a . " Dr . Drew " , and Riki Rachtman in October 1995 after Pinsky had heard Carolla on " Kevin and Bean " ( Rachtman left the show the following year ) . Loveline is broadcast on KROQ - FM in Los Angeles and is syndicated nationwide on the Westwood One radio network . While the format of the program was primarily a call - in show where listeners would ask questions about sex and relationships , Carolla would often spend much of the show ranting about various topics , from fart jokes to incessant radio weather and traffic reports . Carolla served as the louder , funnier side of the show in contrast to the reserved , thoughtful Pinsky . Carolla ' s character was described by one reviewer as " a toned - down version of Howard Stern minus the huge ego " . On September 25 , 2001 Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel both had filled in for Howard Stern ' s head writer Jackie Martling after Martling had left the show in March 2001 . Carolla had mentioned in various interviews and on his podcast that he was offered the job to replace Jackie Martling but turned it down primarily due to Stern ' s show located in New York as well as his commitment to Loveline . The Adam Carolla Show . In October 2005 Carolla was announced as the host of a new morning radio show on the Infinity Broadcasting network . His new show would replace the popular syndicated Howard Stern Show ( which was moving to satellite radio ) in twelve of the 27 markets in which Stern had been broadcast including Los Angeles , Las Vegas , San Francisco , San Diego , Phoenix and Portland , Oregon . " The Adam Carolla Show " debuted in January 2006 . On February 18 , 2009 , The Adam Carolla Show was canceled as part of a format switch at KLSX to AMP FM , a new top 40 station . The final show was Friday , February 20 , 2009 . The Adam Carolla Podcast . Carolla started a daily podcast on Feb . 23 , 2009 , at his personal Web site , which would evolve into the ACE Broadcasting Network . The first Adam Carolla podcast was downloaded more than 250 , 000 times in the initial 24 hours , and by the third podcast , it was the number one podcast on iTunes in both the U . S . and Canada . During the debut week , the Adam Carolla podcast recorded 1 . 6 million downloads . In the second week it recorded 2 . 4 million downloads . By the fourth episode of the second week , featuring former Adam Carolla Show sidekick Dave Dameshek , the show was downloaded more than 500 , 000 times . Adam stated that bandwidth cost more than $ 9 , 000 a month as of May 2009 . In a case that has been referred to as patent trolling , patent holding company Personal Audio is currently suing , among others , Adam Carolla , claiming a patent on " an audio program and message distribution system in which a host system organizes and transmits program segments to client subscriber locations . " At the end of 2009 , The Adam Carolla Podcast was selected by iTunes for its end - of - the - year awards as the Best Audio Podcast of 2009 . On May 18 , 2011 , Adam announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live ! that The Adam Carolla Show has taken the Guinness World Record for the most downloaded podcast ever from Ricky Gervais after receiving 59 , 574 , 843 unique downloads from March 2009 to March 16 , 2011 . Television . 1999 through 2004 . Carolla began his first original television series with " The Man Show " , along with partner and close friend Jimmy Kimmel , on Comedy Central from 1999 to 2003 . He left " The Man Show " at the same time as Kimmel , after having been reportedly offered $ 50 , 000 per episode to stay on . Carolla has continued his work with Kimmel as a writer and guest on " Jimmy Kimmel Live ! " . He also appeared on an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast around this time . Carolla and partner Daniel Kellison are the heads of Jackhole Productions . The two created the television show " Crank Yankers " for Comedy Central , which revived the Mr . Birchum character . ( The show premiered in 2002 on Comedy Central and returned to MTV2 on February 9 , 2007 , running again until March 30 , 2007 . The show screened in Australia on SBS Television and The Comedy Channel between 2003 and 2008 . ) 2005 through 2008 . From August 2005 to November 2005 , Carolla hosted the talk show " Too Late with Adam Carolla " on Comedy Central . Also in 2005 , Carolla was featured in a home remodeling program called " The Adam Carolla Project " wherein he and a crew of old friends renovated his childhood home . The 13 episodes aired on the cable channel TLC ( The Learning Channel ) from October through December 2005 . The house was then sold for 1 . 2 Million dollars . In 2006 , Carolla appeared on the special summer series " Gameshow Marathon " as a celebrity panelist on the Match Game episode . On the February 18 , 2008 broadcast of his radio show , Carolla announced that he would be one of the contestants on the next season of " Dancing with the Stars " . Later in the broadcast , it was revealed to Adam that his partner would be Julianne Hough . He was voted off on the April 8 , 2008 episode after his performance of the Paso Doble , but not before an amazing demonstration of unicycle riding . On June 16 , 2008 Carolla was selected to host a pilot of an American version of the popular BBC show " Top Gear " for NBC . In December 2008 , NBC decided not to pick up the show . 2009 to present . On February 21 , 2009 , a day after his Los Angeles - based morning radio show was canceled — as part of a format change at KLSX - FM — CBS ordered a comedy pilot starring the actor / comedian . " Ace in the Hole " was to star Carolla as a husband and father who works as a driving instructor . Carolla created and wrote the pilot with Kevin Hench ( " Jimmy Kimmel Live ! " ) . Carolla stated that Pamela Adlon was to play his wife and Windell Middlebrooks of the Miller High Life commercial fame will play his best friend . During his March 30 , 2009 podcast , Carolla briefly described the show as being " All in the Family , essentially " , with Carolla playing a similar role to that of Archie Bunker . On the July 23 , 2009 episode of the Adam Carolla Podcast , Carolla announced that CBS was not picking up the pilot for the 2009 season , " in any way , shape or form . " On October 22 , 2009 , it was reported in " Variety " that Carolla had struck a deal with NBC to produce a half - hour pilot for a sitcom . The report was later confirmed on January 4 , 2010 , and was the first comedy pilot ordered by NBC for the season . The untitled project , written by Carolla and Kevin Hench , was a single - camera endeavor that starred Carolla as a contractor and father who attempts to rebuild his life after his wife leaves him . Carolla was set to executive produce the NBC project along with frequent collaborators Kimmel and Hench , as well as his agent James " Babydoll " Dixon , Jon Pollack from " 30 Rock " , Gail Berman , Daniel Kellison , and Lloyd Braun . Universal Media Studios , BermanBraun , and Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel ' s own Jackhole Industries . On the February 13 , 2010 episode of Carolla ' s CarCast podcast , he broke the news that The History Channel had picked up Top Gear US , which NBC had decided against in 2008 . On the March 26 , 2010 episode of CarCast , Carolla said that he would not be co - hosting Top Gear US because of scheduling conflicts with his NBC sitcom project . In June 2010 , Carolla said that his NBC pilot had not been picked up , and was now " dead . " Carolla was also one of the contestants in NBC ' s " The Celebrity Apprentice " . He was fired in Week 4 , because Mr . Trump perceived that Carolla did not utilize Andretti ' s car background during a Buick presentation , even though it was clear that Andretti did not like public speaking . The Car Show . Carolla ' s " The Car Show " debuted on Speed TV July 13 , 2011 . Appearing Wednesdays at 10 pm Eastern , it featured Carolla as the host , along with Dan Neil , John Salley , and Matt Farah . It had a format similar to Top Gear , mixing car reviews , tests and humor . The show was initially met with largely positive reviews from car enthusiasts and comedy fans . Talk show host and comedian Jay Leno called The Car Show , " . . . a lot of fun . " The Car Show was then cancelled after one season , after undergoing format changes and dropping John Salley due to low ratings , as Adam mentioned on his podcast January 13 , 2012 . Voice acting . Carolla has also done voice acting on cartoon s , including Commander Nebula on the Disney animated series " Buzz Lightyear of Star Command " , Death on " Family Guy " ( replacing Norm Macdonald ) and Spanky Ham on " Drawn Together " . He was also the voice of a police officer , who was also a doughnut , in the Disney film " Wreck - It - Ralph " . In 2008 and 2009 , he was the spokesperson for T . G . I . Friday ' s . In 2010 , he appeared in a commercial for Aflac named " Spicy . " Film . In 2003 he appeared in Windy City Heat as himself . In 2006 , Carolla finished work on " The Hammer " , a semi - autobiographical independent film he co - wrote and co - produced , in which he stars opposite Heather Juergensen . The film is based loosely on his own life and is filmed at a gym he helped build with his co - star , Ozzie , played by Oswaldo Castillo , his friend in real life whom he met while building the gym when they both worked in construction . The film made its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and shortly thereafter received a positive review in Variety . The film was released on March 21 , 2008 . The film is rated 80 % on Rotten Tomatoes . Adam made a short appearance in Jeff Balis ' " Still Waiting . . . " ( a sequel to " Waiting . . . " ) playing a pick - up artist guru . Adam helped write an unproduced screenplay for a movie entitled Deaf Frat Guy : Showdown at Havasu . He is the voice of Virgil in the independent short film " Save Virgil " . Books . Carolla and Drew Pinsky co - wrote ( with Marshall Fine ) the self - help book " The Dr . Drew and Adam Book : A Survival Guide to Life and Love " which was published in 1998 . The book is a compilation of some of the advice the pair had compiled while producing Loveline . In November 2010 , Carolla ' s " In Fifty Years We ' ll All Be Chicks . . . And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle - Aged White Guy " was published by Crown Archetype and debuted at number eight on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non - fiction on November 21 , 2010 . The book was compiled from rants Carolla had delivered on his radio show and podcast along with some new material and was dictated to and ghost written by Mike Lynch . Carolla published a short , illustrated e - book entitled " Rich Man , Poor Man " in January 2012 . The book details some similarities in the experiences of the very rich and the very poor which are not shared by the middle class . The book was illustrated by Michael Narren . Carolla ' s book " Not Taco Bell Material " was published by Crown Archetype on June 12 , 2012 . It climbed the New York Times bestseller list and received widespread praise for its satirical humor and honest , self - deprecating style . Controversies . Carolla has occasionally stirred up controversy due to sweeping generalizations about various groups , usually presented in a comedic light . For example in a late - 2003 " Loveline " episode , Carolla said that Hawaii ans are " dumb , " " in - bred , " " retarded " people who are among the " dumbest people we have . " These comments were met with anger in Hawaii , and resulted in " Loveline " ' s cancellation on Hawaiian affiliate KPOI . On the April 4 , 2010 episode of " The Adam Carolla Show " , Carolla referred to Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao as a " fucking idiot " and derided Pacquiao ' s home country of the Philippines , saying , " They got this and sex tours , that ' s all they have over there . Get your shit together Philippines . " The comments angered many Filipinos , and a spokesman for Filipino president Gloria Arroyo called Carolla an " ignorant fool . " Carolla subsequently apologized via Twitter . In August 2011 , Carolla attracted the ire of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation after a podcast in which , referring to transgender people , he asked , " When did we start giving a shit about these people ? " The segment was in response to a proposed initiative to have the puppet characters Bert and Ernie , from the children ' s television show " Sesame Street " , enter into a " gay marriage . " He went on to say that the LGBT moniker ought to be replaced with " YUCK , " and that LGBT activists ought to " shut up , " and that they are " ruining [ his ] life . " GLAAD also referred to previous offensive remarks by Carolla , including an assertion that , " all things being equal , " heterosexual parents are better than homosexual parents . Carolla responded , " I ' m sorry my comments were hurtful . I ' m a comedian , not a politician . " GLAAD called the apology " empty . " In June 2012 , Carolla became the target of charges of sexism and antisemitism due to his remarks during an interview published in the " New York Post " : Carolla ' s comments were reported as " Women Aren ' t Funny " , resulted viral criticism from a variety of individuals concerning the perceived innate sexism underlying these statements . Carolla himself criticized the viral reports as overly simplistic and misleading . Personal life . On September 28 , 2002 , Carolla married Lynette Paradise . Lynette gave birth to their first children , twins Natalia and Santino " Sonny " Richard Carolla on June 7 , 2006 . On " The Adam Carolla Show " , Adam repeatedly mentioned the birth was originally scheduled for June 6 , but that he and Lynette decided to push it up one day as to avoid the symbolic 666 ( 06 – 06 – 06 ) . Carolla is a part owner of Amalfi , an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles . Carolla won the 2013 Pro / Celebrity Race as a professional and the 2012 Pro / Celebrity Race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as an amateur . The race was run on April 14 , 2012 and was broadcast on Speed TV . In 2013 , Carolla again competed in the Toyota Grand Prix race , this time he raced as a pro - driver . Carolla finished first in the Pro category in the 2013 race Carolla has previously participated in the race in 2010 and 2003 . He finished ninth among 19 racers ( fifth among the ten celebrities ) in 2010 despite being regarded as a pre - race favorite . He is also a serious automobile collector with over 20 cars . His collection includes several Lamborghini s from the 1960s and early 1970s including two Miuras ( of 764 examples ever produced ) , one of which he has loaned to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles , two 400GT 2 + 2s ( of 247 units produced ) and a 1965 350GT ( one of 135 built ) . At least one Ferrari and Aston Martin and several vintage race cars round out the collection . Carolla has stated that he consumes alcohol on a daily basis . He conceived the fortified wine cocktail ' Mangria ' ( a pun on sangria ) , which later became commercialized with the Napa Valley - based " Patio Wine Company " as a partner . Religious and political views . Regarding his religious beliefs , Carolla has stated , " I am not agnostic . I am atheist . I don ’ t think there is no God ; I know there ’ s no God . I know there ’ s no God the same way I know many other laws in our universe . I know there ’ s no God and I know most of the world knows that as well . They just won ’ t admit it because there ’ s another thing they know : they know they ’ re going to die , and it freaks them out . So most people don ’ t have the courage to admit there ’ s no God and they know it . They feel it . They try to suppress it . And if you bring it up they get angry because it freaks them out . " Regarding his political views , Carolla has stated , " I guess I would be Republican , in the sense that I want a secure border , I ' m not into the welfare state , I ' m not into all those freebie lunch programs . It just kind of demeans people . " He goes on to state , however , that he is also in favor of traditionally libertarian causes such as the legalization of marijuana and some progressive causes such as " . . . [ being ] against semi - automatic and automatic weapons . I ' m not an NRA guy by any stretch of the imagination . I ' d like alternative energy to be explored and electric cars to be used , but I want them to be powered by nuclear power plants . " ( He is a member of the advisory board of the Marijuana Policy Project ) . Elsewhere he has stated that " My feeling is this whole country is founded on the principle of ' if you are not hurting anyone , and you ' re not fucking with someone else ' s shit , and you are paying your taxes , you should be able to just do what you want to do . ' It ' s the freedom and the independence . " In 2010 , Carolla posed for the NOH8 campaign . Honors . Carolla and Pinsky received a Sexual Health In Entertainment ( SHINE ) Award from the The Media Project in 2000 for " incorporating accurate and honest portrayals of sexuality " in the talk show category for Loveline . Asteroid 4535 Adamcarolla is named in his honor .