Joel Hodgson

Joel Hodgson was born on February 20, 1960, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He spent parts of his childhood in Green Bay and Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. His early exposure to evangelical Christian church shows influenced his interest in entertainment, leading him to perform as a magician and ventriloquist starting in seventh grade. After graduating from Ashwaubenon High School, Hodgson pursued theatre and mass media studies at Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota, where he refined his comedic magic act, opening for musical acts and performing in various venues.

Hodgson’s career advanced significantly when he moved to Los Angeles in November 1982. He became a regular performer at notable comedy clubs such as The Comedy Store and The Magic Castle. At 22, he made his network television debut on “Late Night with David Letterman,” followed by four more appearances on the show and four guest spots on “Saturday Night Live.” He was also featured on HBO’s “Eighth Annual Young Comedians Special.” After leaving stand-up comedy in 1985 for a creative sabbatical in Minneapolis, Hodgson engaged in various creative endeavors, including building sculptures, working at a T-shirt factory, and designing toys and props. During this period, he co-wrote an HBO special with Jerry Seinfeld in 1986 and was considered for a role in “Cheers.”

In 1988, Hodgson created “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (MST3K), building three robot puppets that became central to the show. MST3K premiered on KTMA-TV and later became a foundational program for Comedy Central. Hodgson starred as Joel Robinson, the protagonist responsible for creating the show’s robot companions. He departed from MST3K in 1993 after its 107th episode, “Mitchell,” citing discomfort with acting and creative disagreements with producer Jim Mallon. Following MST3K, Hodgson continued his work in writing and production, including roles on “Trashed,” “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves,” “You Don’t Know Jack,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and “Everything You Need to Know.” He also had a recurring acting role in “Freaks and Geeks” in 1999 and voiced Mayor Bill Dewey in “Steven Universe” from 2013 to 2018. In 2007, Hodgson co-founded “Cinematic Titanic,” a project similar to MST3K, featuring live performances and content for DVDs and digital download, alongside other MST3K alumni. In 2015 and 2021, he successfully launched Kickstarter campaigns to revive MST3K, bringing the show back to Netflix and then to a new service called the Gizmoplex, demonstrating his continued commitment to the series and its fan base.