Arts & Entertainment

West Orange-Born Comedian Hilarious, Frightening on 'This American Life'

Chris Gethard featured on popular radio show.

“I do very vividly remember having this joy that I could create chaos,” says local access television host of some reputeactor, New York improv staple, author and comedian Chris Gethard. “Being bad was fun to me.”

Gethard, a West Orange native, this weekend told This American Life audiences about growing up as a rotten, terrible child in West Orange. 

The popular radio show’s latest episode is called “Bad Baby.”

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In the dozen or so minutes of the side spitting story, Gethard talks about his “devil mark,” torturing his parents Sally and Ken—when he was as young as 2 1/2 years old—and even takes one of the show’s producers to the “The Bad Boys’ Home” near Thomas Edison National Park where his dad (jokingly) threatened to abandon the young terror if he didn't reform his ways.

You can hear the full episode (or just Gethard's portion) at thisamericanlife.org.

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