Fez Whatley
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[edit] Background
"Fez Marie Whatley" is a talk radio host and comedian who co-hosts The Ron and Fez Show. Fez originally became well known after becoming a producer and contributor for The Ron and Ron Show in Florida. After the show disbanded, Fez teamed up with Ron and Ron host Ron Bennington to create The Ron and Fez Show, then entitled Ron and Fez Dot Com.
Fez, whose real name is Todd Hilliard, grew up in Pinellas Park, Florida, is a big Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning fan and enjoys watching professional wrestling. He is a particularly big fan of Ric Flair, and his stage name may be an allusion to Pez Whatley.
[edit] Fez Marie Whatley: Actor, Singer, Artist
Fez is also known as an accomplished actor in the Tampa Bay - St.Petersburg area. Fez played Ens. Frank Thurlowe Pulver in a Pensacola Community Theater production of Mr Roberts. He reportedly received rave reviews from the Pensacola News Journal.
In high school Fez played Mr. Bumble in a production of Oliver. He has used his vocal skills on air, singing "It Makes Me Fez," "Harper Valley PTA," and "Facts of Life."
[edit] The Mind of Fez
Fez is extremely neurotic; he has a fear of everything ranging from falling out of the Roosevelt Island Tram, being crushed in a collapsing subway tunnel during his regular commute, to "violent" dog breeds. He is also freakishly tidy, and lives alone with little to no contact with others outside of his job. During an infamous "bit" that stretched out for nearly a year, Fez refused to shave his head as per a wager he made with Ron and Fez Show caller Elfish over the results of a football game, though eventually he relented and allowed his head to be shaved.
Fez's bits often stretch out for an unusually long amount of time, sometimes evolving into an extended plot line, much like the wresting shows Fez enjoys. One such example was his claiming of having a fiancee in Canada that was mentioned off and on for nearly five years, much to the chagrin of co-host Ron Bennington. Another bit of Fez's that floundered was his claiming of adopting a kitten he named "Fuzz Whatley." The feline was only mentioned when there were advertisements run of an animal shelter on Ron and Fez's station, and, after a few months when the promos stopped airing, Fez ceased mentioning it. Ron, whose on-air persona is that of the antogonist, often chastises Fez for a number of things including: His bits not being funny or continuing for an improperly long amount of time, his social isolation, and his lack of skill in performing impersonations.
Though Ron has a decidedly critical attitude towards Fez on-air, he has a deep friendship with him. Once during an on-air tirade against a program director who claimed Fez wasn't working hard enough he aggressively fired "Everywhere I've ever worked nobody gives more than Fez Whatley."
Fez has said on several occasions (most recently on the air on January 29th, 2007) that he has synesthesia, a neurological condition in which he associates numbers with specific colors; e.g. 2 is blue and 4 is purple. He has also stated that he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, is extremely anxious, and moderately paranoid.
[edit] Recent History
On November 9, 2005, Fez suffered a mild heart attack. Unbeknownst to him, he went on to host The Ron and Fez Show the next day before consulting a doctor where he was informed he had suffered a heart attack and was also diagnosed with diabetes. An angioplasty was performed and Fez returned to the show on November 28, 2005.
Recently, despite ambiguity with regard to his sexual orientation, Fez has been insisting that he has been involved in a secret romantic relationship with Dawn Cumia, Anthony's (co-host of the Opie and Anthony show) sister. Although not "officially confirmed," numerous comments by both Ron and Fez concerning the validity of the "relationship," combined with the tone of the original announcement and subsequent discussions, have made it clear that this was a comedy bit.
[edit] Homeless Fez
In late 2006, the "Homeless Fez" bit began when a fan of the show posted a story to a fan website about seeing a disheveled, somewhat disoriented man muttering to himself wandering around the Apple Store in Manhattan. Thinking that it was a homeless person who had wandered in off the streets, he went in to get a picture, and the "homeless man" turned out to be none other than Fez Marie Whatley. (Fez denies that he was disheveled, disoriented, or muttering to himself.) This immediately led to speculation on the show that Fez was indeed homeless.
The bit hit its climax when Ron asked Opie and Anthony to take Fez along on their "Homeless Shopping Spree" in December 2006. Fez did indeed join the Homeless Shopping Spree. During the course of the shopping spree, Fez says that one of the true homeless people sprayed him in the face with perfume. Unfortunately for Fez, there were cameras around documenting the event. A video of Fez stumbling around bleary-eyed was shown on various news programs, seeming to imply that Fez himself was one of the homeless people.
Reports indicate that, as noted above, Fez does live on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
