Jim Florentine

Born on August 18, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York, James Bernard Florentine launched his career in New York City comedy clubs. Growing up in a large Catholic family with six siblings in central New Jersey, Florentine initially showed an interest in a musical career due to his passion for heavy metal music. Despite his musical aspirations, he found his calling in comedy, influenced by seeing Andrew Dice Clay on a Rodney Dangerfield special. This early inspiration set the foundation for his enduring career in stand-up and character-based comedy. His unique perspective and comedic style would later gain significant recognition, leading to a variety of roles in television, film, and radio.

Florentine achieved widespread recognition in 2002 when he was cast in Comedy Central’s “Crank Yankers.” He notably voiced the characters Special Ed and Bobby Fletcher, which became iconic due to their distinct personalities. His prank call albums, “Terrorizing Telemarketers Volume 1” and “Volume 2,” gained significant traction after being featured on “The Howard Stern Radio Show,” propelling his Amazon.com ranking to number 2. Transitioning from radio success to television prominence, Florentine’s characters even caught the attention of Eminem, leading to collaborations and appearances at the MTV Music Awards in 2004. Florentine has released six stand-up comedy albums, two comedy specials, seven “Terrorizing Telemarketers” prank call compilations, and three “Meet the Creeps” hidden camera DVD installments. His 2018 book, “Everybody is Awful (Except You!),” reached number one on the Book Soup nonfiction chart.

His career also includes co-hosting VH1 Classic’s “That Metal Show” from 2008 to 2015, where he shared his knowledge and passion for hard rock and metal music. Florentine has made numerous television appearances, including roles in “Inside Amy Schumer,” “Louie” (earning an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Star), “Californication,” “Girls,” and “Red Oaks.” He also appeared in the film “Trainwreck” (2015) as the One-Night Stand Guy and was a featured comedian on HBO’s “Down and Dirty with Jim Norton.” In addition to his acting and hosting duties, he voiced the character Bobbie Ray in the video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories” (2006) and hosts “The Jim Florentine Show” on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, alongside his podcast, “Everybody Is Awful (Except You).”. Jim opened for the band Metallica at the Orionfest festival in 2013.