Spring 2026

McHale knows it sounds cliché to talk about how grateful he is to have such a robust career, but he truly is. He relishes every role he’s play- ing.“I’m not kidding and I’m not trying to sound diplomatic, but to this day I can’t believe some- one is paying me to do any of it. I get to be on camera and make jokes and wear fancy suits and get to ride a camel? Great! What a silly, wonderful predicament I’m in. I love it. I really do enjoy doing it all.” His love of all-things-entertainment is palpa- ble after decades of effort. McHale, now 54 years old, graduated from the University of Washington with a history degree. His time there included two years as a walk-on tight end on the Huskies football team. He never played in a game, but life worked out just fine when the stage and screen ended up being his true calling. He did what he calls “tons and tons of theater and improv,” followed by what felt like a big break at the time: a comedy show on the local NBC affiliate in Seattle. He went on to earn a master’s degree in acting from UW. Before any paid gigs, he was already dating the love of his life, his wife Sarah. “When I met her, I was like, I’m gonna do everything, use all my powers, to try to get her to like me. I had to really work hard to get her…I’m so lucky.” They’ll celebrate 30 years of marriage in July. “We look at each other and I say, ‘How did this happen? How did you agree to be with me this long? Why would you do this?’ She’s extremely patient.” Sarah, a yogi and a counselor, is who he refers to as “the adult in the room.”The cou- ple has two boys, 21-year-old Eddie and 17-year-old Isaac. They also have two dogs, a pug and a one-eyed French bulldog. National success came when McHale became the highly lauded host of pop-culture commen- tary show “The Soup” on the E! Network from 2004-2015.With his spikes firmly in TV’s turf, his career began to surge. He appeared on every- thing from “The X-Files” to “Sons of Anarchy” to DC’s “Stargirl.” NBC’s “Community” made him a bona fide household name playing the lead role of Jeff Winger, a sarcastic but lovable former attorney, from 2009-2015. In all, McHale has almost 100 acting credits. Breaks are uncommon, but during a rare weekend off, McHale will be in Pebble Beach for the 33rd Annual Comics for Kids gala benefitting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County. It’s a full-circle opportunity for this former “club kid” who was a regular at his Mercer Island, 104 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 Photo: Barry King/Alamy McHale loves each of his three current television gigs, but says “Animal Control,” and its ensemble cast, is especially great. He’ll begin shooting season five in Canada after coming to the Carmel area for the 33rd Annual Comics for Kids. Breaks are uncommon, but during a rare weekend off, McHale will be in Pebble Beach for the 33rd Annual Comics for Kids gala benefitting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County.