Kevin Bleyer, the four-time Emmy-winning writer known for his work on The Daily Show and speechwriting for Barack Obama, has died in a car accident.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bleyer was killed on October 25 in a crash on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania. He was 54.
News of his death was shared in a statement from his wife, Nella Vera, provided to Deadline.
‘Kevin spent his life finding the perfect words to make people laugh, think, and see the world a little differently,’ Vera said.
‘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.’
Bleyer also wrote speeches for Obama, including remarks delivered by the former president at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Kevin Bleyer, a four-time Emmy-winning writer who worked on The Daily Show and wrote speeches for Barack Obama, has died in a car accident
Bleyer wrote for Obama’s annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner speeches, including the former president’s 2011 roast of Donald Trump
Among Bleyer’s most notable contributions was helping craft Obama’s now-famous 2011 roast of Donald Trump at the dinner in Washington, D.C.
One of the speech’s most striking moments came when Obama mocked Trump’s promotion of the birtherism conspiracy theory.
‘I know he’s taken some flack lately,’ Obama said, ‘but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate issue to rest than Donald.
‘And that’s because he can get back to the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?’
The speech, followed by Trump’s public humiliation at that year’s dinner, is widely regarded as the moment the The Apprentice host decided to pursue the presidency.
‘I think that he is kind of motivated by it: “Maybe I’ll just run. Maybe I’ll show them all”,’ Trump political advisor Roger Stone told Frontline PBS in 2016.
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Bleyer’s political work extended beyond the White House. He also served as a speechwriter for Bill de Blasio while de Blasio was mayor of New York City.
His other credits included Bill Maher’s former late-night program Politically Incorrect and work on the Academy Awards.
Bleyer, 54, died on October 25 in an accident on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania
Obama’s 2011 speech and Trump’s subsequent public humiliation are widely believed to have influenced his decision to run for president; pictured in 2011 with wife Melania
Bleyer was perhaps best known for his work on The Daily Show, where he won four Emmy Awards.
Actor and screenwriter Danny Strong, known for starring in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-writing two Hunger Games films, also issued a statement following Bleyer’s death.
‘Kevin Bleyer was a writer’s writer. 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,’ Strong gushed.
‘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.’
Bleyer was born in Maryland and attended Stanford University, where he earned a degree in communications.
He got his big TV break writing and producing on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher from 1996 to 1992.
After that, he wrote on the Bravo sitcom Significant Others and wrote and produced for Dennis Miller’s show.
His biggest success came as a writer for The Daily Show, where he worked on over 1000 episodes and won a Writers Guild of America award, in addition to his four Emmys.
After The Daily Show ended, Bleyer went back into scripted writing for Fox’s Sleepy Hollow series.
He also published a book in 2012 titled, Me The People: One Man’s Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America.
