If somehow you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t gotten a chance to check out Hulu’s unbelievably funny Difficult People starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner, do yourself a favor and check it out as soon as you can. Billy Eichner’s career got its kickstart with his web series Billy on the Street, with a simple format that has proven to be comedy gold. From there, he found himself a series regular on everyone’s favorite sitcom about small government in Parks and Recreation. It doesn’t hurt that everyone seems to love him, too.
The latest move for Eicher is a role in NBC’s over-the-top cast for Hairspray Live! Sure, NBC reviving the live musical genre truly feels like something that Jack Donaghy would be pitching to peacock executives on an episode of 30 Rock, but it’s a reality and the cast is pretty huge. According to EW, Eichner will be joining the cast as Rob Barker, a local newscaster in the show, joining an already-stacked cast of Kristen Chenoweth, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Martin Short, Rosie O’Donnell, and more.
That’s a pretty huge deal for a guy like Eichner who has been traversing his way through the comedy world in search of his big break. His inclusion in Hairspray Live! is proof that while he doesn’t have his own big-network sitcom, he’s still becoming an integral part of the comedy world and somehow not including him would be an affront to good taste.
(Via EW)
