Simon Rich (born 1984) is an American humorist, novelist, and television writer, best known for being the youngest writer ever hired on Saturday Night Liveand writing the Thurber Prize-nominated humor collection Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations.

 

Background

Rich was born and raised in New York City. He attended The Dalton School and then enrolled at Harvard University where he became president of the Harvard Lampoon. His older brother is novelist and essayist Nathaniel Rich and his father is New York Times author Frank Rich.

 

Career

In his fifth year as an undergraduate at Harvard University in 2007, Rich received a two-book contract from Random House. Rich's first book, a collection of short humor pieces entitled Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations was published in 2007 and was nominated for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. His second collection, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008. In 2009, Rich co-created the collector's edition trading cards New York Superheroes. Rich's third book and first novel, Elliot Allagash, was released in May 2010. Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman has optioned the movie rights to Elliot Allagash.

Rich and the staff of Saturday Night Live were nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Series three times in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and twice won the Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy/Variety Series in 2009 and 2010.

 

Rich recently finished his fourth season as a staff writer for Saturday Night Live and is a frequent contributor to the Shouts & Murmurs section of the New Yorker magazine.

 

Books

• Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations by Simon Rich (Apr 3, 2007)

• Free-Range Chickens by Simon Rich (May 12, 2009)

• Elliot Allagash: A Novel by Simon Rich (Jun 14, 2011)

• What in God's Name: A Novel (Aug 7, 2012)

• Last Girlfriend on Earth by Simon Rich (Jan 31, 2013)