Dick Kirk

Kirk In 2014

**Richard Kirk Felix Baron** (born September 13, 1971) is an American comedian, television host, actor and producer. He currently hosts late-night satirical talk show *The Kirk Report* on Comedy Central. He is a former candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2012 and 2016.

Graduating with a Theatre Major in the University of Kentucky, he worked as a stand-up comic before hosting short-lived late-night television talk show *The Dick Kirk Show*, which satirised modern culture. The show was cancelled after just airing 7 episodes due to poor ratings. After the show, he worked various jobs, most notably as a columnist in *The Onion*, a satirical news publication.

In 2003, he was picked up by Comedy Central to host *The Kirk Report*, a late-night talk show featuring a parody of Conservative commentators, aimed at satirising and mocking modern news and news culture. Despite poor performances in the show's first years, he gained attention with his coverage of the 2006 Midterm Elections, as well as his presidential bid int he 2012 Democratic Presidential Primary,

## Early Life and Career

Born in the coal-mining town of Coal City, WV, Kirk was the youngest of 4 children in a heavily Catholic family. His father, Gerald Baron, worked as the executive of a local coal mining company, while his mother, Evelyn Johnson, worked as a nurse at the Raleigh General Hospital. The couple's oldest child, Henry Baron, worked in his father's company as a coal miner.

In 1992, he moved to Kentucky to study at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He studied in the university's Mining Engineering Department but defied his parents' wishes when he dropped out to join the school's College of Fine Arts. Due to this, his parents' cut off his allowance, causing Kirk to go on a job hunt.

Working various odd jobs to support himself, his friends encouraged him to try stand-up comedy after gaining a reputation around the campus as a funnyman. During this period, he saw massive success as a comic, and after graduating the University of Kentucky with a Theatre Major, he became a regular at Comedy Cellar, where his agent referred him to producers at the then-new Fox Network. Kirk was then hired by producers to host *The Dick Kirk Show*, a late-night television programme aimed at satirising modern culture.

## Television Career

### The Dick Kirk Show and Interim Career

The show aired in the summer of 1999 but was cancelled by Fox just after 7 episodes due to poor ratings. Critics described Kirk as a below-average talk show host, with many criticising the show's writing and Kirk's awkward delivery. The show was also described by one reviewer as "lost" and "rather out-of-touch for a show that's making fun of modern culture". Soon after leaving the show, Kirk himself also acknowledged the show's poor reception, stating in an interview with Variety Magazine in 2000 that "The show was an awful experience for me." and that "I did not know what I was doing even at the time."

After leaving the Fox Network, Kirk searched for acting roles in order to earn a salary. He accepted cameo roles in multiple television shows, took up cinematic roles in obscure films, and returned to stand-up comedy in the Comedy Cellar. In 2002, he joined *The Onion* as a regular columnist, publishing a column titled"*Dick Kirk's Kirk-Merica*", written under the guise of a "hyper-American commentator" with the same name as Kirk. Despite it being just a year old, it gained fame as a humorous column, and Kirk was spotted by Comedy Central producers, who pitched *The Kirk Report* to the network's executives. The show was to air on late-night and be hosted by Dick Kirk's *Kirk-Merica* persona.

### The Kirk Report

The pitch was accepted by Comedy Central executives, despite initial concerns that Kirk's written format would not fit well on televisio. Its first episode on December 23, 2003. Right after the show's beginning, it covered the 2004 Presidential Election, which was received poorly by critics who were disappointed by the election's coverage. Despite this, however, Kirk persuaded executives not to cancel his show, which he succeeded in doing. In 2006, critics gave his show another chance with the upcoming midterm elections, and the election coverage gave the show massive improvement in both critical reception and in ratings.

In 2012, the show saw yet another boost when Kirk announced his satirical Democratic presidential bid on May 24, 2011, challenging incumbent President Albert Winston. Campaigning on a platform of secession from the United States and the creation of an Appalachian Empire, he partnered with Mountain Dew to create multiple campaign ads. He focused in campaigning in West Virginia and Kentucky and saw a rise in popularity when a poll showed him garnering 2% in West Virginia. However, both states denied him ballot access due to his candidacy being satirical, and Kirk suspended his campaign on January 2, 2012

However, he ran again as a Democrat in 2016, this time successfully gaining ballot access in Iowa, New Hampshire and West Virginia. Due to the lack of a strong Democratic candidate, Kirk surprised observers and commentators by sweeping the Iowa Caucus. The win catapulted him to first place and granted him ballot access in more states, but saw his numbers decline after the entrance of multiple high-profile candidates, namely Ohio Senator Gianna Carrollton[1], New Hampshire Governor Irina Kuznetsov[2], and Vermont Governor Robert Danders[3]. On Super Tuesday, Kirk faced a huge loss, in no small part thanks to the loss of momentum. After Super Tuesday, Kirk suspended his campaign and met with lawyer John L. Truman to form the Real Americans Super Duper PAC.

*The Kirk Report* aired its final episode on 8th November 2016, with a live coverage of the presidential election. The special ends with a taped sequence, which shows Kirk clearing the studio before ascending into the skies as he thanks his viewers.

## Politics

### 2008 West Virginia Gubernatorial Election

In the 2008 West Virginia Gubernatorial Election, Kirk himself raised speculation that he may run for West Virginia's governorship y touring West Virginia and giving not-so-subtle hints. He announced that if he ran, he would run as a Democrat, in order to achieve the goal of "destroying the party from the inside". He stated that if he ran, he would campaign on a platform of abolishing income tax, eliminating all laws. He also stated that he would save the coal industry by requesting that West Virginian children "start acting naughty each year so that Santa Claus can give us an infinite amount of coal."

Kirk later ended speculation by publicly declaring on his December 27, 2007 show by stating "As much as I love the great state of West Virginia, I cannot deny that I hunger for more." leading some to speculate that he may run for president in 2008. However, Kirk stopped short of a presidential bid.

### 2012 Presidential Election

On May 24, 2011, Kirk visited Charleston, West Virginia to declare his presidential bid as a Democrat, challenging incumbent Democratic President Albert Winston, whom Kirk decried as a "Marxist-Maoist Communist lackey" and as "Un-American in every way. Even in his name. The most famous Albert was a German, and it could mean that Winston secretly sympathises with Nazis."

Kirk campaigned exclusively in West Virginia and Kentucky on the platform of secession and the creation of an "all-American" Appalachian Empire. He partnered with Mountain Dew to create multiple humorous ads, and in turn, Kirk advertised the drink on his show. Later that fall, a Gallup Poll showed that Kirk had garnered 2% of support in West Virginia, shocking commentators due to the relative strength the satirical candidacy had. Kirk boasted about the campaign's support and insinuated that he had secretly paid Gallup to publish the poll by saying "Thanks for doing the thing. The mula's in the truck out back." and "I am definitely not communicating with Gallup pollsters through morse-code pen-tapping."

The Democratic parties of West Virginia and Kentucky eventually denied him ballot access on the basis that he was not a serious candidate, causing Kirk deride the Democrats by saying "I am the most serious person in the world. I mean everything I say." and suspending his candidacy.

2 years after the election, he referenced his presidential bid in his coverage of the 2014 Midterm Election, stating that he still held contempt for the state Democratic parties.

### 2016 Presidential Election and Super PAC

In January of 2016, Kirk announced his second presidential bid after securing ballot access in Iowa, New Hampshire and West Virginia. He held multiple rallies in Iowa, and due to the lack of candidates, swept the first-in-the-nation caucus by a wide margin. He celebrated the victory on his show, but his win most likely prompted more high-profile politicians, including Sen. Carrollton, Gov. Kuznetsov and Gov. Danders, to run. He gained ballot access in more states but faced a loss of momentum in New Hampshire and Nevada, where he used Florida Sen. Miguel Santana, whose campaign was inactive but whose name was still on the ballot, as a surrogate candidate.

Running on a platform of "uber-populism" and unachievable promises, major losses on Super Tuesday that he faced prompted Kirk to end campaigning. However, he only formally suspended his campaign after meeting with lawyer John L. Truman to form the Real Americans Super Duper PAC.

## Personal Life

Kirk is married to Yvonne Sargent-Kirk, whom he met in 1996, and lives in New York City. However, he is domiciled in West Virginia and is registered to vote there. He has 3 children: Joseph, John and Catherine, named from oldest to youngest respectively. He has stated that he is still a practising Catholic and still attends church.

### Political Beliefs

Despite being a political satirist, he has kept his political beliefs secret, stating on *Meet The Press* in 2006 that he is "pro-sanity". Recently in 2016, he gave an out-of-character interview with George Stephanopoulos, where he declined to endorse any one candidate but said that he sees Ohio Sen. Carrollton as his best choice. He later gave another interview with the Tallahassee News Station, where he stated that he now sees Calvin Reed[4] as his preferred choice, but stated that he disagrees with the latter over policy.

He has stated in the past that he is a registered independent.