Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons will co-host the 23rd annual AVN Awards with adult star Jesse Jane on January 7 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.
Fitzsimmons is a regular performer on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In addition, the native of Tarrytown, N.Y., has made over 25 appearances on “The Howard Stern Show.”
He said that “puberty” sparked his interest in hosting the AVN Awards.
“I think it’s an honor for any comedian because porno is so interlinked with the world of stand-up comedy. They’re both about raw, natural stuff,” Fitzsimmons told AVN.com. “Everybody else does it, but we’re more honest about it.”
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Fitzsimmons, who headlined the Montreal International Comedy Festival in 2004, describes himself as a fan of porn.
“Like anybody it started with Playboy, and then you try to ramp it up as slowly as you can and save a little deviance for later in life,” he noted. “You move on to Penthouse and then Oui, and try to save the Black Butt Cruisers for at least in your 20s so you don’t burn out.”
AVN Awards show producer Gary Miller said that Fitzsimmons’ attitude and style were ideal fits.
“He does really nasty humor which is absolutely perfect for our show,” Miller said. “He certainly has the credentials and has been around long enough to be able to pull something like this off. When [AVN president] Paul Fishbein and I went and saw him at the Improv a few weeks ago, that pretty much clinched the deal right there. We knew he was going to be great for the show.”
Fitzsimmons moved to L.A. six years ago and has been doing regular stand-up gigs at the city’s top comedy clubs ever since. He just headlined the Improv last weekend.
Fitzsimmons became even more porn friendly with his numerous appearances on Stern’s radio show.
“I think that show has a good spirit about dealing with porno and does it in a funny way, and it also respects it,” Fitzsimmons said. “For me, a lot of people who had [hosted the AVN Awards] in the past, like [Bobby] Slayton, [Jim] Norton and [Robert] Schimmel - those kind of guys I admire and I aspire to be like. I try to be truthful and not be afraid to talk about any given topic on stage, and that’s what porno is about. There is an honesty about it.”
Fitzsimmons is certainly no stranger to risqué material. Two segments on his comedy CD “Fitz of Laughter” are titled “Vegas & Porno” on “Sex & Intimacy.”
“You can really tell how healthy your marriage is by what sexual positions your wife will let you do,” Fitzsimmons said. “… It’s getting harder and harder to get on ‘The Tonight Show’ because everything I do now is a little more raw.”
Fitzsimmons is also a talented writer who began writing for TV about four years ago. This year he won two Daytime Emmy Awards for writing and producing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” He is currently writing for a new HBO sitcom called "Lucky Louie" which premiers in January. He has also written on such shows as "Politically Incorrect,” "Cedric the Entertainer Presents,” "The Man Show,” and "The Emmy Awards.”
Fitzsimmons said that “Lucky Louie” is a family sitcom that will be presented in “a more honest way than has ever been done.”
“We’ll be talking about the sexual aspects of a marriage, and times when you can hate your wife and she hates you to the core, the way it really is,” he said. “We’ll do it the way we want to. It’s not sugarcoated for network TV.
“…By the time of the porno awards, we will have taped about 12 episodes.”
Each week Fitzsimmons appears on VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” where he takes a comedic look at current events and pop culture.
Fitzsimmons also hosted a Cable Ace Award winning game show on MTV called “Idiot Savants,” and in 2001 The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo., honored him with the prestigious "Jury Award for Best Standup Comedian."
The comedian said he would be vacationing in Johannesburg and Capetown, South Africa prior to returning to Vegas to host the ceremony.
To purchase tickets to the show, click here.
Photo of Greg with Howard Stern courtesy of GregFitzsimmons.com.
