Brian Reich Obituary

Brian Douglas Reich died, nay transcended the world of ne'er-do-wells, September 12, 2022 at his home in Venice, California. The son of Phyllis Barbara Miller Reich and Edwin Wilbur Reich, Brian was born on April 5, 1969 and raised in West Orange, New Jersey. Brian studied Economics at Harvard where he was an editor of the Harvard Lampoon, the college’s humor magazine. It was down hill from there, all the way down to the regrettable position of having anything to do with the Harvard Crimson school newspaper.

Brian, a Writers Guild of America Award winning comedy writer, relished puncturing pretension. A favorite among his peers, Brian was admired for his incisive wit, modesty and kind, supportive disposition. While a writer’s writer, for reasons unknown Brian was conversely not highly regarded as a Brian’s Brian. A Mixed Martial Arts fan and Gold’s Gym workout warrior, Brian was often referred to by both co-workers and weak layabouts as the funniest, buff person they’ve ever known.

Upon landing a job on the writing staff of Late Night with David Lettermen just a year out from undergraduate studies, Brian declared himself a “late bloomer” and wondered aloud how he could possibly write for a young, feral, college audience at the ripe, old age of 23? Brian eventually found himself on the writing staff of Late Night with Conan O’Brien where he gained a reputation for being prolific, brilliantly absurdist and among the show’s strongest contributors, meaning Brian could bench press 350 pounds. Brian’s Late Night bits Pimpbot 5000, Masturbating Bear and the FBI Sting became the stuff of insomniac comedy legend.

In an epic prank, after informing Late Night with Conan O’Brien, he was leaving the show for new challenges, Brian secretly reapplied for his vacant position under the pseudonym “Hank Flynn.” When Brian’s faux writer submission package was actually chosen out of more than one hundred applications, Brian hired an actor to portray Hank Flynn. Brian directed the stand-in to turn down the Late Night writing job, telling the show that, on reflection, Late Night was not very funny. Instead, Flynn hoped to land a production assistant gig on The Daily Show. This left Late Night stunned, crestfallen and ultimately vowing to destroy Brian once he revealed the Hank Flynn submission was a stunt. They later begged Brian to stay.

Brian’s versatility to write for a variety of fresh comedic voices and puerile junk alike landed him a writer, producer gig on the network sitcom Just Shoot Me and eventually Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Brian also frequently returned to his off-kilter comedy roots, writing for Chris Elliot’s Eagleheart, Nathan Fielder’s Nathan for You, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who is America? and Robert Smigel’s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog comedy specials.

Brian was a model of gratitude who would want you to know he lived a full life. He cared for his family and cherished his friends and dog, Daisy. Ultimately, Brian fearlessly fought off and beat a devastating cancer diagnosis for seven years, never complaining nor losing his legendary sense of humor. He once told a friend, in the wake of his diagnosis, he was ready for what was coming and certainly didn’t feel ripped off.

A graveside service will be conducted October 2, 11am at King Solomon Cemetery in Clifton, New Jersey.