Jeff Bakalar

Jeffrey Ian Bakalar (born (1982-03-24)March 24, 1982) is a professional podcaster, video game journalist, and formerly^[2] the host of CNET's longest-running podcast, The 404 Show. He was a recurring personality on various podcasts on Giant Bomb, later becoming a co-owner of the site in 2025.^[3][4]

Jeff Bakalar
Bakalar in 2023
Born	Jeffrey Ian Bakalar (1982-03-24) March 24, 1982 (age 43) Brooklyn, New York
Alma mater	Towson University (B.A.)
Years active	2004-present
Known for	podcaster, celebrity interviewer, videogames journalist, internet personality
Notable work	The 404 Show Mest: Seven Deadly Sins Pre-Game Giant Beastcast Giant Bombcast CBSN
Spouse	Stacie Blair Bakalar (2010-present)[1]
Children	1

Personal

Bakalar was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1982^[5] and was raised in Briarwood, Queens before his family relocated to Marlboro Township, New Jersey where he attended Marlboro High School. He graduated from Towson University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Electronic Media and Film, where he won an award for a mockumentary he directed called Adult Swim.^[6]

In 2010, he married his longtime girlfriend, Stacie Davis.^[7]

He currently lives in New Jersey.

Career

During his college years, Bakalar worked as a production office intern for actor and producer Bob Balaban in New York City at his production company Chicagofilms^[8] while Balaban completed work on Gosford Park.^[9]

In 2004, he signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Maverick Records to direct and produce a documentary for the pop punk band Mest. The documentary, entitled Seven Deadly Sins was released as a pack-in bonus with copies of the band's 2005 album Photographs.^[10][11]

In 2007, Bakalar joined CNET as a home theater and gaming editor, eventually starting a technology and pop culture podcast called The 404 Show with Randall Bennett and Wilson Tang.^[12] In hosting the podcast, Bakalar has interviewed Tony Hawk, Marc Maron, John Hodgman, Shaun White, Wayne Brady, Scott Aukerman, Michael Showalter, Andrew W.K. and others.^[13] Each year the podcast is performed live at the Consumer Electronics Show, where it has featured Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, Felicia Day and others.^[14][15]

In 2012, Bakalar started CNET's first-ever weekly tech parody comic called Low Latency, which he writes and is illustrated by Blake Stevenson.^[16]

Bakalar briefly co-hosted another CNET project, Pre-Game, but stopped production after a year of programming to focus more on The 404 Show.^[12]

Bakalar is a member of the New York Videogame Critics Circle, an advocacy group for game writers in and around the New York City area.^[17]

He regularly appears on TV and radio as a technology, pop culture, and video game expert. Bakalar has been featured on G4's Attack of the Show, NPR's All Things Considered, and CNBC's Power Lunch.^[18][19][20]

In late 2014, Bakalar joined CBSN as a regularly appearing tech and pop culture pundit representing CNET.^[21]

On May 22, 2015, he joined the cast of Giant Bomb's Giant Beastcast, where he remained a regular member until its conclusion in May 2021. He later joined the cast of its sister podcast, the Giant Bombcast.^[22]

On September 29, 2017, the final episode of The 404 Show podcast was published.^[2]

In May 2025, Bakalar announced he had become a co-owner of the newly-independent Giant Bomb.^[23]