Kevin Bleyer, veteran Daily Show writer and Obama speechwriter, dies in crash

Kevin Bleyer, a television writer and political speechwriter, died Sunday in a car accident on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania. His family confirmed the crash occurred near his country home. He was 54 years old.

Bleyer built a long career in political satire and news writing. He spent nine years writing for The Daily Show, where he won four Primetime Emmy Awards. He also won a Peabody Award and a Writers Guild Award during his time on the program. Before that, he wrote for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and Dennis Miller for eight years.

His work extended beyond comedy writing. Bleyer served as a speechwriter for President Barack Obama, contributing to addresses including the White House Correspondents Dinners. He also acted as deputy chief speechwriter for former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. In the news division, he worked as a writer and producer for the Today Show on NBC News and as a supervising producer for Ronan Farrow Daily on MSNBC.

In 2013, while living in Kyrgyzstan, Bleyer executive produced Studio 7, described as the first political satire news show in Central Asia. After returning to the United States, he co-founded Pilot Media Initiatives. The organization sponsors civics-minded media programs in countries with democratic challenges. Under his leadership, political satire shows launched in North Macedonia, Nigeria, Moldova, Kenya, Jordan, and Estonia.

Bleyer was an author and academic. He wrote Me the People: One Man’s Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America. He co-authored the bestseller Earth: The Book and How to Sweet-Talk a Shark with Bill Richardson. He taught as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Tisch School in 2018 and worked for PRI’s Marketplace in London.

He was born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in Seattle. He lived in New York City for the past 20 years. Before his death, he was developing a pilot about New York City politics for Appian Way and HBO. He is survived by his wife, Nella Vera; his father, Dr. Archie Bleyer; his brother, Keith Bleyer; his sister-in-law, Kelly Schulz-Bleyer; his nephew, Evan Bleyer; and his niece, Lauren Bleyer.

Colleagues remembered his versatility and kindness. Lawrence O’Donnell, an anchor for MSNow, said, “I don’t remember meeting Kevin because it instantly felt like I knew him forever. Kevin was a generous friend who always brought the gift of laughter.” Danny Strong, a writer and producer, noted that Bleyer could “literally do it all.” Nella Vera, his wife, recalled that he made her world “more joyful, more adventurous, and infinitely more beautiful.”