18 Things to Know About Dan Levy

Dan Levy is part of the new generation of Jewish comedic superstars. The son of comedian Eugene Levy (yes, the guy with the eyebrows), he now stars and co-creates the cult hit Schitt’s Creek with his dad.

Read on for 18 things to know about Dan…

1. Born in 1983 in Toronto, his parents Eugene Levy and Deborah Devine chose to raise him and his sister (actress Sarah) away from Hollywood.

2. At age 18, Dan came out as gay. His parents were “incredibly loving and supportive.”

Side note: His mom has 237 followers on Twitter, and her tweets get like maybe two likes and are *amazing*:

3. He uses Schitt’s Creek to demonstrate a world without homophobia. As he explains to the Advocate, “the amount of response I got from the third season of our show where we first introduced the character of Patrick was like, ‘I really hope nothing bad happens to them.’ It was a very conscious effort on my part to not have that happen. In fact, it’s been a conscious effort to not ever show the other side on our television program. I have made a very strong point to not ever show bigotry, homophobia, or intolerance on our show because to me, it’s a celebration of love. At the root of it, [Schitt’s Creek] is a celebration of love between the family and between the relationships that we build.”

4. On the show, his character, David, is pansexual. “To not have to define yourself or categorize yourself, I think, is beneficial to everyone. I think the more we can understand that people just exist and that as long as we’re doing good in this world, we don’t need to bother or worry about defining or classifying people, the sooner we’ll be in a better place.”

5. Dan is the host of The Great Canadian Baking Show!

6. He’s hosted many a TV show; his career began on MTV Canada at age 21. (Notably, MTV Canada’s The After Show, The Hills: The After Show, and MTV Live.) Regarding his time at MTV he said, “I had the time of my life on MTV. I was working at a video store before I got my job there. It brought me out of my shell. Being forced to talk to strangers every day will make anyone who is afraid of strangers kick that bad habit real fast. It was my first chance to show people that I was capable of not being just someone’s kid. And more importantly, for me to figure out, am I good at this?”

7. Yet, he was never cut out to host TV. Why? “I hated working red carpets, I hated the whole celebrity interview process. I just realized I’d rather be the person somebody wanted to ask questions to than the person asking the questions. I wanted to contribute; sitting down and asking a series of very generic questions to someone in a press junket was not fulfilling enough. So I left MTV and started to write television, started to get involved in some improv classes, and then shortly thereafter came up with the idea for Schitt’s Creek…

8. The inspiration for Schitt’s Creek? “Would the Kardashians still be the Kardashians without their money?”

9. On working with his dad, Dan wrote, “We both share a desire to tell stories about characters who are rooted in reality. What I’ve learned from my dad is that you don’t have comedy unless you have characters who are real. They can be as big and broad as possible, but the story has to be based on something with heart. That’s what has worked for him, and keeping that in mind season after season has been really beneficial in the writers’ room.”

All interviews of them for Schitt’s Creek are delightful:

Okay, one more (watch the full thing here):

Also, here’s an amazing throwback photo of Eugene and Dan:

10. He had a brief arc in Tina Fey’s movie Admission, which didn’t go quite as planned. “I have anxiety at the best of times,” Dan admitted, “So to be preparing this very wordy monologue — I got so nervous that I couldn’t get through it. I was stuttering and stammering and I remember thinking, if things ever go well in my career and I run into Tina Fey again, I owe her a really big apology.”

11. Mariah Carey retweeted a clip of Schitt’s Creek, and it was the “single greatest day” of his life.

12. He’s not that outspoken on his Jewish identity, but identifies as a “halfie.”

This interfaith identity was a plot point in the holiday special of Schitt’s Creek, giving us the amazing line, “I’m a delightful half-half situation!”

13. Identity aside — there’s not much stylistic overlap between Dan and his character, David. “I don’t think I would have the sartorial confidence to wear what David wears on the day to day, especially in certain situations,” he told Vogue.

14. He has a dog named Redmond, a staple of his Instagram:

15. His favorite TV genre is crime dramas, especially British ones. His favorite artist is Beyoncé, based on his social media presence.

And right around the drop of Lemonade:

16. He’s actually really good pals with Annie Murphy, the actress who plays Alexis on Schitt’s Creek. (Important side note: We LOVE Alexis! Read our article about why she’s the greatest.)

17. He has his own eyewear line, D.L. Eyewear.

18. His self-description? “I’m a proud ball of anxiety in front of a computer, that is the reality.” Same, Dan, same.

Love Schitt’s Creek? Check out some of our other coverage:

Love You Forever, Schitt’s Creek
Alexis Rose from ‘Schitt’s Creek’ is the Best Jewish Character on Television Right Now
The ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Holiday Special Leans Into Interfaith Identity
The Best Jewish Jokes In ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Season 5
How Dan and Eugene Levy Helped Me Mourn My Jewish Father

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