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Mike
Thomas
New York Times Bestselling Author · Award-Winning Journalist · Experienced Content Writer
New York Times Bestselling Author · Award-Winning Journalist · Experienced Content Writer
NYT Bestseller
The definitive biography of Johnny Carson — the entertainer who redefined late-night television and American culture. Co-authored with the late Bill Zehme, completed after Zehme's passing in 2023.
"Shimmers with nuance and wonder." — Booklist (starred review)
The life and times of Phil Hartman — eight brilliant seasons on SNL, his comedic genius, and the shocking tragedy that cut his life short. Both joyous tribute and exhaustive biography.
"[Thomas] presents Hartman as he was, without diminishing or sanitizing him, giving the world a more nuanced remembrance than much of what's been published about him since 1998. It's a good way to remember him." — Sarah Larson, The New Yorker
An oral history of Chicago's legendary comedy theater, told through alumni including Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, Amy Sedaris, and Stephen Colbert.
"Mike Thomas . . . does a wonderful job with an impossible task: capturing that lightning-in-a-bottle quality of Second City, from its humble origins to its current status as a comedy institution." — Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune
Mike Thomas · Chicago
Mike Thomas is a Chicago-based author and journalist whose work spans three decades of American cultural life. He co-authored the New York Times bestseller Carson the Magnificent (Simon & Schuster, 2024) — the definitive biography of Johnny Carson, completed alongside the late writer Bill Zehme.
His previous books — You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman (St. Martin's Press, 2014) and The Second City Unscripted (Random House, 2009) — earned wide critical acclaim and cemented his reputation as one of America's top chroniclers of comedy and popular culture.
A longtime contributor to Chicago magazine, Mike has written about movie stars, bestselling authors, musicians, and business leaders. His popular "BackRoom" feature — intimate conversations with famous Chicagoans about life, wisdom, and the city — has run in the magazine since 2016. He is also a former staff writer at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Writing Featured In
Mike joins host Scott Simon on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday to discuss Carson the Magnificent — how he took over Bill Zehme's unfinished manuscript and brought it to completion.
Listen →A feature segment exploring the complex, private man behind America's most beloved late-night host, drawing on the revelations in Carson the Magnificent.
Watch →Mike appears in ABC's 20/20 documentary on Phil Hartman, drawing on his exhaustive research from You Might Remember Me, the definitive biography of the beloved SNL comedian.
Watch →For interview requests, speaking engagements, press inquiries, or general correspondence, please reach out using the form.