On the Heels of Their WGA Award Win, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Ups Mike Drucker and Kristen Bartlett to Co-Head Writers

LOS ANGELES –  February 12, 2020 – Emmy® Award-winning Full Frontal with Samantha Bee has promoted veteran writers Mike Drucker and Kristen Bartlett to co-head writers of television’s #1 ad-supported late-night show among young adults. Premiering in 2016 as the only female-hosted late-night program, Full Frontal continues to bring a unique voice and worldview to primetime, shining a bright light on the darkness that is Decision 2020 with a new episode airing tonight at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on TBS. Season five of the late-night talker premiered last week following the unveiling of their new parental leave policy that’s the best in late-night. The innovative plan offers staffers 20 weeks full pay for moms and primary caregivers, 4 weeks full pay for spouses/partners, health insurance and job protection for up to a year if they want to take more time off. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is part of TBS’ escapist, lean-back line-up of smart, imaginative programming that tells stories with heart and a comedic edge.

“Wait, we promoted who?”, said Samantha Bee. “I’m kidding, of course we promoted Mike and Kristen. They have been an instrumental part of our writing team. I'm an incredible recognizer of the incredibly talented.“

Mike Drucker is a writer and comedian living in New York City. His stand-up has been featured on Audible and at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, where he was selected for New Faces. Before joining the Full Frontal team in 2018, Drucker was a staff writer on such shows as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Adam Ruins Everything, Bill Nye Saves the World, and The President Show. His writing has also appeared in video games for Nintendo and Sony, as well as publications such as The Onion, McSweeney’s, and The New Yorker. He has five Emmy® nominations, but his landlord still won’t let him get a dog.

Kristen Bartlett is an Emmy® nominated writer that has received WGA and Peabody Awards for her work on Saturday Night Live and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Bartlett’s comedy has been featured in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Vulture and was named one of Hollywood's Top 100 New Writers on Tracking Board's Young and Hungry List. Bartlett’s show The Dead Dads Club, a darkly funny take on loss, performed to sold-out audiences at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and at special engagements in Los Angeles and Montreal. Unlike Mike Drucker, Kristen has a dog, but he's nearly 15, so she lets him eat whatever he wants and wakes up in the middle of the night to make sure he's breathing.

“After three drafts of this statement, we landed on saying we’re honored and excited for season five as well as deeply afraid of Election 2020,” said Drucker and Bartlett. “We feel so thrilled that Sam put her trust in us, even though, let’s be honest, she probably shouldn’t have.”

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee shines a spotlight on stories inside the Beltway and beyond, from sexual harassment in the media to the “boyfriend loophole,” and from global warming to child marriage in the United States. Full Frontal also travels the world to cover international stories, with segments from China, Jordan, Germany, Russia, Scotland, Mexico and Iraq. In its first four seasons, Full Frontal has garnered an Outstanding Writing Emmy and a WGA Award for its two Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner specials honoring a free press, as well as seventeen Emmy nominations, an additional WGA Award nomination, a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, two additional TCA Award nominations, two PGA nominations and four DGA nominations. The series is executive produced by Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Tony Hernandez, Miles Kahn, Alison Camillo, and Pat King.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs Wednesdays on TBS at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

About TBS
TBS, a WarnerMedia Entertainment brand, is a top rated destination for television among young adults and known for escapist, lean-back entertainment, featuring smart, imaginative stories with heart and comedic edge. From scripted comedy series to late-night shows, game shows, animated programming and, starting in 2020, drama series, TBS’s Originals slate comprises some of the most popular shows on cable — Miracle Workers, CONAN, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Last O.G. and American Dad!. TBS’s upcoming scripted series include the action dramedy Obliterated and the comedy Chad. The network’s slate of premium unscripted series includes the popular game show The Misery Index. TBS’s lineup also includes comedy hits like Family Guy and The Big Bang Theory, classic sitcom favorites Friends and Seinfeld, blockbuster movies, and live event coverage of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and ELEAGUE, WarnerMedia's eSports gaming competition. Viewers can watch shows on the TBS app, available for iOS, Android, Xbox One and other platforms and devices.
Website: www.tbs.com
 
About WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, truTV and others. WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

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