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10 Questions with Jay Thomas
Emmy Award winner Jay Thomas is considered one of the funniest people in show business. Despite having appeared in countless films and TV shows to critical acclaim, he might be best known for ranting on late night TV at David Letterman, Jay Leno or Bill Maher. Jay started in radio, building a large following while hosting the #1 ranked morning shows at 99X and 92KTU in New York and the legendary KPWR - Power 106 - in Los Angeles. Next Jay conquered TV. He had small parts in many shows, including The Love Boat, then landed a role on Mork & Mindy as deli owner Remo DaVinci.
But he might be best known for his stint on Cheers as hockey player Eddie LeBec, who made Carla a widow when he was run over by a Zamboni machine. Jay was then married to Bess Armstrong in Married People, a sitcom about three married couples living in a New York brownstone. He won an Emmy the next year for his recurring role as Jerry Gold on Murphy Brown. Then in Love & War, Jay was paired with restaurant owners Susan Dey and, later, Annie Potts. In February 2000, he hosted Fox Television's controversial Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire? special, and some of his funniest rants are about his experiences on that show. In addition, Jay has appeared in numerous TV and theatrical films, including a new one with Kevin Costner. But Jay will never abandon radio. Between films and TV appearances, Thomas now hosts The Jay Thomas Morning Show on New York's Jammin 105, but resides in Connecticut with his wife and two sons. Considered one of the funniest men in show business, Jay often appears on Politically Incorrect, the Tonight Show and The Late Show to offer opinions on everything from politics to sports to fatherhood. Now he can add SportsHollywood to that list (if he'll ever admit to it).
SportsHollywood: What's your favorite sports movie? THOMAS: "Heaven Can Wait." Any movie where a guy who's better looking than me gets brutally murdered, brightens my day. SportsHollywood: What is the worst sports movie ever made? THOMAS: The movie with Matt LeBlanc and the monkey. Any movie where a guy who makes more money than me makes a fool of himself, brightens my day. SportsHollywood: Favorite play-by-play memory? THOMAS: When Tom Dempsey, the guy with half a foot, kicked the 63-yard field goal. He might as well have hit the ball with a brick. Everyone was talking about his disability, but it was like if a baseball pitcher was involved in an accident and it turns his pitching arm into a rifle… it would be a bonus, not a disability.
SportsHollywood: What sports do you play? THOMAS: I play touch football, tennis, golf, skip rope, box, wrestle and water basketball… unless she has a headache. I don't know what that means. SportsHollywood: Which is more fun to you: Acting in a film or just being yourself on TV and radio? THOMAS: Being myself in a sitcom. Actually, making fun of my acting is my favorite. SportsHollywood: Did you ever REALLY play hockey like Eddie on "Cheers"? And who is a better hockey player? THOMAS: The only ice I ever saw was in a glass. I'm from New Orleans. SportsHollywood: Where is your Emmy today? THOMAS: It's in a shrine in my home that I built to it. I hocked it the same day OJ sold his Heisman… for different reasons… SportsHollywood: Is it more fun to make out with Murphy Brown or with Laurie from The Partidge Family? THOMAS: Murphy Brown… I made out with Danny Bonaduce once, though… He beat me up… SportsHollywood: Could you tell that Darva and Rick weren't going to make it as a couple on Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire? THOMAS: She was no damn good and he was an idiot so they deserved each other. SportsHollywood: Which would you rather be awarded -- Emmy or baseball MVP: THOMAS: An Emmy. I hate baseball. Now I'd give up my family for NFL MVP. Pull a U-Haul up to the house - they're gone. SportsHollywood: Are there any athletes that you'd like to play in a film? THOMAS: Eddie Gaedell… Or anyone shorter or not as
good looking as me. THOMAS: I told you I don't like baseball - stop asking me those questions. And if you ask another one, this interview will be over. SportsHollywood: Who's your favorite drug-dependent Yankee? THOMAS: Click. Buzz Interview by Rodney Lee Conover
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