Emmy-Winning Former Obama Speechwriter Dies in Car Crash at 54

Kevin Bleyer, the four-time Emmy-winning writer known for his work on The Daily Show and speeches for Barack Obama, has died in a car accident.

Bleyer was killed on October 25 in a crash on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania, The Hollywood Reporter reported. He was 54.

His wife, Nella Vera, confirmed his death in a statement shared with Deadline.

“Kevin spent his life finding the perfect words to make people laugh, think, and see the world a little differently,” Vera said.

“I was lucky enough to know the humor, curiosity, mischief, and tenderness behind those words—and to be loved by a man who made my own world more joyful, more adventurous, and infinitely more beautiful.”

Among Bleyer’s work for Obama was writing portions of the former president’s speeches for the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Perhaps Bleyer’s most widely remembered political writing came from Obama’s memorable 2011 roast of Donald Trump at the dinner in Washington, D.C.

In one of the speech’s sharpest exchanges, Obama mocked Trump’s promotion of the false “birther” claim that the president had not been born in the United States.

“I know he’s taken some flack lately,” Obama said, “but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate issue to rest than Donald.

“And that’s because he can get back to the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”

Trump’s public embarrassment during the dinner, and the speech that preceded it, are widely regarded as a turning point that helped inspire the future The Apprentice host to pursue the presidency.

“I think that he is kind of motivated by it: ‘Maybe I’ll just run. Maybe I’ll show them all,’” Trump political adviser Roger Stone told Frontline PBS in 2016.

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Bleyer’s political writing credits also included serving as a speechwriter for Bill de Blasio during his time as mayor of New York City.

Beyond politics, he contributed to Bill Maher’s former late-night program Politically Incorrect and worked on the Academy Awards.

Still, Bleyer was best known to television audiences for his work on The Daily Show, which earned him four Emmy Awards.

Actor and screenwriter Danny Strong, recognized for his role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for co-writing two Hunger Games films, also shared a statement following Bleyer’s death.

‘Kevin Bleyer was a writer’s writer. From his many years on The Daily Show to writing Obama’s WHCD speeches to his many books and his work on numerous scripted dramas, Kevin could literally do it all,’ Strong gushed.

‘His immense talent was only outmatched by his kind soul. I am in complete shock that he is gone, and my sadness is overwhelming. I already miss him dearly.’

Bleyer was born in Maryland and attended Stanford University, where he earned a degree in communications. 

He got his big TV break writing and producing on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher from 1996 to 1992. 

After that, he wrote on the Bravo sitcom Significant Others and wrote and produced for Dennis Miller.  

His biggest success came as a writer for The Daily Show, where he worked on over 1000 episodes and won a Writers Guild of America award, in addition to his four Emmys.

After The Daily Show ended, Bleyer went back into scripted writing for Fox’s Sleepy Hollow series. 

He also published a book in 2012 titled, Me The People: One Man’s Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America.