Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography (Rutgers University Press, 2024) is the life story of Muppet performer Richard Hunt.
Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography tells the life story of a gifted performer whose gleeful irreverence, sharp wit and generous spirit inspired millions. Though his work is iconic, Hunt himself is curiously invisible – and his story is long overdue.
Richard Hunt was one of the five original main performers in the Muppet troupe. He brought to life an impressive range of characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. Just 18 years old when he joined Jim Henson’s company, his edgy humor helped launch the Muppets into international stardom. Hunt lived large, savoring life’s delights, amassing a vivid, disparate community of friends. Even when the AIDS epidemic wrought its devastation, claiming the love of Hunt’s life and threatening his own life, he showed an extraordinary resilience, openness and joy. Hunt’s story exemplifies how to follow your passion, foster your talents, adapt to life’s surprises, genuinely connect with everyone from glitzy celebrities to gruff cab drivers – and have a hell of a lot of fun along the way.
The book draws upon over 100 interviews with Hunt’s family, colleagues, lovers and friends, plus a number of unseen rare archival materials.
What’s more, Funny Boy is the first book to tell the story of the Muppets as a troupe, capturing the breathtaking period when the Original Five were at the apex of their performing powers, daring each other to new heights. Hunt died just 18 months after Henson — truly the end of an era.
Accolades: Poz Magazine nominated it for Best in Literature of 2024; Passport Magazine named it one of the 3 best books of spring 2024; the World Travel Blog called it one of the “hottest new publications from LGBTQ+ authors on love, life and adventure”; the Winnipeg library recommended it as a “Rainbow Read”; and the Muppet Hall of Fame voted it Best Muppet production of 2024!
Order Funny Boy at Rutgers or Amazon (30% off!). Or email me to order a signed copy!