Win Ben Stein's Money: Host Ben Stein |
The host of Comedy Central's Win Ben Stein's Money, Ben Stein successfully balances a professional life to encompass his many interests.
A graduate of Yale Law School, Stein served as a lawyer and speechwriter for Richard Nixon. He currently teaches law at Pepperdine University, and is a university adjunct at American University and the University of California
at Santa Cruz. Stein has authored 15 books in addition to numerous essays and online columns. He has written for numerous publications and papers such as The American Spectator, Barron's and the Los Angeles and New York magazines. Stein's just kinda smart.
We sat down to chat with the caustically funny and sarcastic Stein to discuss such deep topics as whether he can take Regis in an all-out brawl.
For Win Ben Stein's Money, you deservedly won a Daytime Emmy as the show's host, but you also serve as a contestant. Which of the two roles is most rewarding for you?
Stein: Being a contestant is most rewarding when I win. Being host is most rewarding when I don't.
Speaking of hosting, you've had two co-hosts on the show: Jimmy Kimmel and Nancy Pimental. Do you ever miss Jimmy?
Stein: Oh, I miss Jimmy every day. He's the funniest man on Earth--I really believe that. Jay Leno should be nervous: Jimmy will have a late-night talk show very soon. He's a genius. But we have a third co-host now, actually. Nancy has left the show and moved on. She's been replaced by a man named Sal Iacono. He's Jimmy's cousin. He's a brilliant man. Very funny. We're shooting the episodes with Sal right now. They debut in late March or early April. We're shooting 130 episodes with Sal.
Do you watch Jimmy's The Man Show?
Stein: On occasion, when I can. I think everything Jimmy does on that show is hysterical. But there are those on the The Man Show who just take things too far.
Do you mean his co-host, Adam Carolla?
Stein: Well, Carolla's a funny guy, but not as funny as Jimmy. Carolla tends to get too dirty and I lose interest. He's still damn funny, but in my opinion, Jimmy walks on water. No comparison.
In terms of awards, Win Ben Stein's Money also won the Daytime Emmy for excellence in writing. Do you have much input into the writing of these wacky trivia categories?
Stein: None. No part whatsoever. I mean, the things that I say, I write myself, but I let the writers handle everything else. They are super funny, they work hard and they get paid almost nothing. But that's the way it is with TV writers. If you write for a successful sitcom, then you make a fortune.