Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American comedian and television personality.

He was the longtime host of Dennis Miller Live, a half-hour talk show characterized by its stark simplicity. The show had no set, band, or even much lighting. It mainly consisted of Miller speaking to the largely unseen studio audience on a darkened stage. There would be one guest per show, who Miller would quiz on the topic of the day. The show used to also feature callers, but this was phased out in later seasons.

The highlight of the show were Miller's "rants" on various political issues. The rants always began with the catch phrase "now I don't want to get off on a rant here..." and ended with the phrase "of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong."

Miller has a reputation for being very scholarly and intelligent, and his distinct style of humor reflects this. His rants and stand-up routines often feature elaborate metaphors and references to often obscure historical and political events. This has prompted some accusations of intellectual snobbery. For example, on The Simpsons there was this exchange:

LISA: (after hearing obscure joke) Ha, only one person in a million would find that funny!

COMIC BOOK GUY: Yes, we call that the "Dennis Miller Ratio."

In 2000 Miller became the co-host of Monday Night Football. Some feared his humor style was a little too highbrow for football fans, but his new role was actually very popular, and he remained with the show for several seasons.

After his role ended with Monday Night Football and Dennis Miller Live, he turned to political commentary. In 2003, he provided regular commentary for the FOX News show Hannity & Colmes, and will begin a prime-time political show on CNBC in late 2003.

Miller is a registered Republican, and is known for his conservative beliefs. This, in addition to his political interests and style of humor has led for many in the GOP to call for him to run for the Senate against Barbara Boxer.