Ant (comedian)

Ant (born Anthony Steven Kalloniatis; August 23, 1967)^[1][2] is an American stand-up comedian and actor.^[3] He was born as 'Anthony Kalloniatis', but later legally changed his name to 'Ant' in 1993.^[4]

Ant
Born	Anthony Steven Kalloniatis (1967-08-23) August 23, 1967 (age 57) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor Comedian Television host
Years active	1991 – present
Website	www.antcomic.com

Early life

Ant was born Anthony Steven Kalloniatis on August 23, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1993, he legally changed his name to 'Ant'.^[4]

Career

Ant performed at comedy clubs across the US beginning in 1991.

In 1995, he was a semi-regular cast member on the WB series Unhappily Ever After,^[5] spending four seasons on the sitcom.

Ant appeared as a contestant on Last Comic Standing, competing in seasons two and three.^[6]

He was the host of VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club and was a regular judge of talent on Steve Harvey's Big Time. His television series U.S. of Ant premiered on MTV's gay-targeted Logo cable channel in the summer of 2006. Ant also frequently appeared as a commentator on shows such as VH1's Best Week Ever and CNBC's Dennis Miller, and was a regular guest on The Tyra Banks Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as well as The Howard Stern Show.

In 2007, he appeared along with Snoop Dogg as a guest star on MTV's sketch comedy show Short Circuitz.

Ant appeared as a regular celebrity guest on the game show To Tell the Truth, alongside Jackée Harry, Meshach Taylor and John O'Hurley.

In 2008, he was a contestant on VH1's reality competition Celebracadabra, where celebrities trained with established magicians, and competed in an elimination-format contest. Ant was eliminated in episode 2 and brought back in episode 4, but did not go on to win.

Ant is a former host of the Second Chances podcast with comedian Greg Baldwin.^[7]

Legal issues

On September 30, 2008, Ant sued English presenter Ant McPartlin, best known as half of the presenting duo Ant & Dec, for US$30 million for using the name 'Ant' in the United States. The lawsuit, among other things, alleged trademark infringement and fraud. The suit was dismissed in May 2010.^[4]