Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Chris Gethard

Chris Gethard

Co-Founder, Laughing Together, Michael D. Eisner Arts & Culture Fellowship

Morristown, NJ, United States

Chris Gethard is the co-founder of Laughing Together. He’s most known as a comedian, actor, author, and podcaster. He’s known for acting roles on shows like The Office and Broad City, and in films like The Heat, The Other Guys, Anchorman 2, Don’t Think Twice, and Class Action Park. He hosted The Chris Gethard Show, which ran as a public access television show for three years on cable networks. He wrote and performed Career Suicide, a one person show about his experiences navigating the world of mental health, which aired on HBO in 2017. He currently hosts Beautiful/Anonymous, a podcast that just celebrated its ten year anniversary and was named one of Time Magazine’s best 100 podcasts of all time.

In 2023, Chris co-founded Laughing Together, a program that sends comedic acting workshops into schools as a social emotional learning tool, under the umbrella of the mental health in education non-profit Wellness Together. Chris has won a Webby, as well as a number of mental health advocacy awards. He currently volunteers with a small town first aid squad in New Jersey, and is an elected member of the Writers Guild of America East’s council. He is a Fellow in the inaugural class of the Michael D. Eisner Arts & Culture Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.