Mitch Hedberg - Wikipedia

American stand-up comedian (1968–2005)

Mitch Hedberg
Born	Mitchell Lee Hedberg(1968-02-24)February 24, 1968Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2005(2005-03-30) (aged 37)Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Notable work	Strategic Grill LocationsMitch All TogetherDo You Believe in Gosh?
Spouse	Lynn Shawcroft ​(m. 1999)​
Comedy career
Years active	1989–2005
Medium	Stand-up
Genres	Observational comedy surreal humor word play non sequitur one-liner deadpan
Subjects	Recreational drug use Everyday life American culture Self-deprecation Drinking culture Food
Website	mitchhedberg.net

Mitchell Lee Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)[2] was an American stand-up comedian and filmmaker known for his surreal humor and deadpan delivery.[3] His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes[4] mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs.[5]

Hedberg's comedy and onstage persona gained him a cult following,[6] with audience members sometimes shouting out the punchlines to his jokes before he could finish them.[7]

Early life

[edit]

Hedberg was born on February 24, 1968, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Arne Hedberg and Mary Hedberg (née Schimscha, 1943–2012).[8][9] He was of Swedish (from his paternal grandparents), Finnish, Czech, and German descent. Hedberg attended Harding High School in Saint Paul.[10] Hedberg said he was a good student, and often ahead of the rest of the class, but got bored and lost interest around 10th grade, when he started cutting classes. He struggled to graduate from high school and did not attend college.[11]

Career

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Hedberg began his stand-up career in Florida, and after a period of honing his skills, he moved to Seattle and began to tour. He soon appeared on MTV's Comikaze, followed by a 1996 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman that brought him his big break.[12] He won the 1997 grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. The next year he appeared in an episode of Fox's series That '70s Show.

In 1999, he completed his own independent feature film, Los Enchiladas!, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in.[12][13] He recorded three comedy albums: Strategic Grill Locations, Mitch All Together, and Do You Believe in Gosh?, the last released posthumously. He performed at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal three times: in 1998, 2001, and 2004.

Concurrent with his rising fame in the entertainment industry, Hedberg appeared on Letterman nine more times, signed a half-million-dollar deal with Fox for a television sitcom, and was dubbed "the next Seinfeld" by Time magazine.[14] George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Mike Birbiglia, Norm MacDonald and Lewis Black were among his comedian fans.[7][15] Comedians Anthony Jeselnik, Bo Burnham and Ron Funches have listed Hedberg as an influence.[16][17][18]

On September 9, 2008, Comedy Central Records released the album Do You Believe in Gosh?, which contained material Hedberg recorded at The Improv in Ontario, California, in January 2005. Hedberg's wife Lynn wrote in the introduction that the performance had been in preparation for a year-end CD recording.[19]

Style

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Hedberg's stand-up comedy was distinguished by the unique manner of speech he adopted later in his career, his abrupt delivery, and his unusual stage presence. His act usually consisted of compact one- or two-liners and longer routines, often with each line as a punchline.

Hedberg occasionally added disclaimers to the end of a joke if it was not sufficiently well received, frequently variations on "that joke's dumb, I'm aware of that." During recordings for CDs, he would often say that he would find a way to edit a failed gag to make it seem well-received, for example by "adding laughter" to a failed joke containing arithmetic. Following such a failure on Strategic Grill Locations, Hedberg suggested, "All right... that joke is going to be good because I'm going to take all the words out and add new words. That joke will be fixed."[20]

Personal life

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Hedberg was married to Canadian comedian Lynn Shawcroft from 1999 until his death in 2005.[2][21]

Hedberg was a frequent recreational drug user, mentioning it in some of his jokes (e.g., "I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too"). In an interview with Jonathan Davis published in the December 2001 issue of Penthouse, when Hedberg was asked, "If you could choose, how would you end your life?", he replied, "First, I'd want to get famous, and then I'd overdose. If I overdosed at this stage in my career, I would be lucky if it made the back pages."[22][23] On June 23, 2003, he was arrested in Austin, Texas, for heroin possession.[24]. On March 17, 2005, Hedberg appeared on the Howard Stern Show and discussed his drug use, saying: "Well, you know, I got the drugs under control now;" when Stern asked, "Do you? You know how to take them responsibly?", Hedberg replied, "Yeah, you know, just for the creative side of it."

Death

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On March 30, 2005, Hedberg was found dead in his room at The Westminster Hotel in Livingston, New Jersey.[1] His death was announced by Howard Stern on March 31 but was largely overlooked. As a result of the timing of his death, some people thought it was announced on April 1, and fans believed it was an April Fools' Day joke.[25]

His death was initially believed to be the result of a congenital heart defect,[26] but in December 2005, the New Jersey Medical Examiner's office reported that he died accidentally as the result of "multiple drug toxicity", including cocaine and heroin.[1]

Hedberg's funeral was held at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Woodbury, Minnesota.[27] His grave is in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Minnesota.

Discography

[edit] Mitch Hedberg discography

Year	Title	Label	Formats
1999	Strategic Grill Locations	Comedy Central Records	CD (self-released), CD (2003/2010), 2xLP (2017)
2003	Mitch All Together	Comedy Central Records	CD/DVD, LP (2017)
2008	Do You Believe in Gosh?	Comedy Central Records[28]	CD, LP (2016)
2016	The Complete Vinyl Collection	Comedy Central Records	4×LP

Filmography

[edit] Mitch Hedberg film work

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Los Enchiladas!	Lee	Writer/Director
2000	Almost Famous	Eagles Road Manager
2005	Lords of Dogtown	Urethane Wheels Guy	Posthumous release

Television appearances

[edit] Mitch Hedberg television work

Year	Title	Role/Info
1995	Comedy Product	Himself[29]
1998	That '70s Show	Season 1, episode 11, as Frank (Chef at the Hub)
	Premium Blend	Season 2, episode 1, as Himself
	Late Show with David Letterman	Himself (11 episodes)
1999	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	Himself (2 episodes)
	Comedy Central Presents	Himself
	The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn	Himself
	Home Movies	Several roles (4 episodes)
2001	Ed	Season 1, episode 10, as Dave
	Just for Laughs in Montreal	Himself
	Late Friday	Himself
2002	Saddle Rash	Various voices
2003	Late Night with Conan O'Brien	Himself (2 episodes)
	Crank Yankers	Himself
2004	Shorties Watchin' Shorties	Season 1, episode 9, as Himself

Forthcoming documentary

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On August 6, 2024, it was announced via Deadline that a documentary about Hedberg's life will be released sometime in 2026.[30]

References

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1. ^ a b c "Report: Mitch Hedberg died of drug overdose". Today. December 27, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2018 – via The Associated Press.
2. ^ a b "Mitch Hedberg". Retrieved December 23, 2018.
3. ^ Shakespeare, J. C. (February 19, 1999). "Dude, It's Mitch Hedberg!". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
4. ^ "Mitch Hedberg". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
5. ^ "Mitch Hedberg, 37, Dies; Offbeat Stand-Up Comedian". The Washington Post. April 4, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
6. ^ Kolowich, Steve (April 1, 2005). "Cult comedian Mitch Hedberg dies on tour". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
7. ^ a b Fierman, Daniel (July 8, 2005). "The rise and fall of comedy's Kurt Cobain". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
8. ^ "To All of Mitch's Fans". Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
9. ^ "Mary A. Hedberg". Pioneer Press. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
10. ^ "Mitch Hedberg Obituary (2005) - St. Paul, MN - Pioneer Press". Legacy.com.
11. ^ Hedberg, Mitch. "Diamonds in the Rough" (Interview). Interviewed by Barry J. Farber. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
12. ^ a b Sebesta, Courtney (May 22, 2005). "Bittersweet Showing of Comic's Film". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, TX. p. 107. Retrieved October 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ McKinley, Jesse (April 1, 2005). "Mitch Hedberg, a Comedian Who Performed Surreal Routines, Dies at 37". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
14. ^ Anderson, Sam. "Last Laugh". Slate. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
15. ^ I Used to Like Mitch Hedberg., archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved October 9, 2021
16. ^ "Talking to Anthony Jeselnik About 'The Jeselnik Offensive,' His Career Goals, and What Comedy Central Won't Let Him Say". July 18, 2013.
17. ^ "Bo Burnham lists "my favorite comedians," and releases a confessional video: "Art is Dead" – the Comic's Comic". October 29, 2010.
18. ^ "Cameo critic: Ron Funches loves 'I Love Lucy'". www.startribune.com. May 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
19. ^ Shawcroft, Lynn (2008). "liner notes". Do You Believe In Gosh? (Media notes).
20. ^ Hedberg, Mitch. Strategic Grill Locations (CD).
21. ^ Murray, Noel (September 8, 2004). "Interview: Mitch Hedberg". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
22. ^ Davis, Jonathan (December 2001). "Stand-Up Guys". Penthouse. p. 66.
23. ^ Reine, Matthew (April 4, 2015). "Life and Career of Mitch Hedberg". Culture Crossfire. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
24. ^ Hyman, Peter (January 2006). "Alt Comedy Goes Rock and Roll". Spin. p. 72.
25. ^ Rusnak, Jeff (April 2, 2005). "Mitch Hedberg, 37, Comedian, Filmmaker". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
26. ^ Brownfield, Paul (April 2, 2005). "Mitch Hedberg, 37; Comedian Was Known for His Offbeat Musings". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, TCA. p. 130. Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
27. ^ "Mitch L. Hedberg". Legacy.com. April 1, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
28. ^ "COMEDY CENTRAL Records(R) to Release New Mitch Hedberg CD 'Do You Believe in Gosh?'". Reuters. July 14, 2008. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
29. ^ Hedberg, Mitch (1995). "Mitch Hedberg Early T.V. (1995) stand-up". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
30. ^ "Principal Photography Wraps on Documentary About Late Comedian Mitch Hedberg, King of One Liners Who Made Letterman, Conan, Gaffigan Laugh". Deadline. August 6, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2025.

External links

[edit] Wikiquote has quotations related to Mitch Hedberg.

• Mitch Hedberg at IMDb

v t e Mitch Hedberg
Albums	Strategic Grill Locations Mitch All Together Do You Believe in Gosh?
Films written and directed	Los Enchiladas!

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	United States
Artists	MusicBrainz 2