Steven James Brody (May 22, 1970 – February 22, 2019), known professionally as Brody Stevens, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in the Comedy Central reality series Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!, and was known for appearances on Chelsea Lately and other comedy shows as well as roles in films such as The Hangover (2009) and Due Date (2010).
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Early life
Stevens was born Steven Brody in Los Angeles, California on May 22, 1970 to Jaqueline Stevens and Harold Morris Brody, a private investigator from Phoenix. His family is originally from New Mexico and Arizona and Stevens has described them as the "pioneering Jews of the southwest". Stevens was raised in Los Angeles, and briefly enrolled in private school until his mother decided he would attend public school. The family moved to Sacramento during Stevens' early childhood. After his parents divorced when Stevens was eight years old, he lived with his mother and older sister in the San Fernando Valley. Stevens did not go to Hebrew School nor read from the Torah for his Bar Mitzvah. In 1982, Stevens attended a nondenominational Christian church with his father, who was dating a member of the choir.
He attended Reseda High School, excelling on the baseball team as a right-handed pitcher. His highs included striking out 10 batters on multiple occasions (he was often clocked on the radar gun at 88 MPH with movement), while his lows included balking in runs in playoff games. Stevens went on to earn a scholarship to play Division I College Baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program, starting in four games, pitching 28, innings and recording 3 saves. He graduated with a 2.52 GPA.
Career
Stevens first tried stand-up in Los Angeles, before moving to Seattle, where he began developing an act, in addition to co-creating and co-starring in a public-access television show with Teina Manu called Brody and Teina that garnered a cult following. His career continued for a three-year stint in New York City, before he found a home on the Los Angeles comedy scene.
Stevens appeared on the television shows Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Friday, Premium Blend, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, The Test with Jillian Barberie, Late World with Zach, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Attack of the Show!, Childrens Hospital, Tosh.0, TMZ on TV, Fox NFL Sunday, Conan, Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Burn with Jeff Ross, Kroll Show, The Ben Show and @midnight. He was also a regular panelist on Chelsea Lately.
In 2010, Stevens launched his own podcast The Brody Stevens Experiment. Only three episodes were released. On October 7, 2011 Stevens began co-hosting Brode & Esther, a podcast for the Deathsquad network with fellow stand-up comedians Esther Povitsky and Brian Redban. 15 episodes have been released.
In 2011, Stevens starred in and produced a documentary comedy series for HBO called Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!. Zach Galifianakis was an executive producer on the project. It was released in 2012 as six 15-minute episodes on HBO's digital platform HBO GO and received positive reviews. Following the popularity of his HBO program it was picked up by Comedy Central as Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!. The footage was shot by HBO, along with additional material shot by Comedy Central, and was released in 2013 as twelve 21-minute episodes.
Stevens also worked as an audience warm-up performer for several television programs, including The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Late World with Zach, The Man Show, Chelsea Lately, The Burn with Jeff Ross, The Jeselnik Offensive, Rob Dyrdek's Ridiculousness, Who Gets the Last Laugh?, @midnight, The Exes, and Why? with Hannibal Buress.
Stevens also appeared in the films Road to Park City, Jesus Is Magic (2005), The Hangover (2009), I Am Comic (2010), Due Date (2010), and The Hangover Part II (2011). He also appeared in a minor role in Funny People (2009), but his scenes were ultimately cut from the film.
Death
On February 22, 2019, Stevens was found dead in his Los Angeles home. An autopsy determined that he died by suicide. He was 48 years old. He had been suffering from bipolar disorder at the time of his death.
Stevens' website went offline between April and May 2020.
