Kevin Bleyer, Emmy-Winning Daily Show Writer Dies In Car Crash At 54

Kevin Bleyer, an Emmy Award-winning television writer who worked on The Daily Show and Bill Maher-hosted Politically Incorrect and helped write speeches for President Barack Obama, died in a car accident on Sunday (October 25) on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania, where he had a country home. He was 54.

Kevin Bleyer dies

Bleyer's family announced his death. His wife, Nella Vera, remembered him in a family statement. “Kevin spent his life finding the perfect words to make people laugh, think, and see the world a little differently. I was lucky enough to know the humor, curiosity, mischief, and tenderness behind those words—and to be loved by a man who made my own world more joyful, more adventurous, and infinitely more beautiful.”

Tributes pour in for Kevin Bleyer

Friends and colleagues also paid tribute. “Kevin Bleyer was a writer’s writer,” said his friend, actor and screenwriter Danny Strong. “From his many years on The Daily Show to writing Obama’s WHCD speeches to his many books and his work on numerous scripted dramas, Kevin could literally do it all. His immense talent was only outmatched by his kind soul. I am in complete shock that he is gone and my sadness is overwhelming. I already miss him dearly.”

Lawrence O’Donnell, recalling their friendship, wrote, “I don’t remember meeting Kevin because it instantly felt like I knew him forever.” “Kevin was a generous friend who always brought the gift of laughter,” he added.

Who was Kevin Bleyer?

Born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in Seattle, Bleyer worked as a child actor.

He appeared in the 1985 Oscar-nominated film Twice in a Lifetime, where he played Gene Hackman’s grandson and Amy Madigan’s son.

During his college days, he played Jack in Sondheim’s Into the Woods and performed a cappella with the Fleet Street Singers, where he was named the Best Male Collegiate Soloist by Contemporary A Cappella Society.

Bleyer's other works

After Stanford University, Bleyer worked at the New York Public Theater and Broadway’s Cort Theater.

His television career began in 2000 when he joined Maher’s late-night ABC talk show Politically Incorrect as a writer.

In 2004, Bleyer did CNBC late-night talk and interview show Dennis Miller, which ran for two seasons in 2004-05. He wrote 66 episodes and also worked as a producer.

In 2005, he wrote for Comedy Central series Sports Central. In 2006, he joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Bleyer also wrote news and current affairs shows.

Bleyer was also an author. He wrote Me the People: One Man’s Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America and co-authored the bestseller Earth: The Book. He was the co-author of the book How to Sweet-Talk a Shark