Fez Whatley
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| Fez Marie Whatley | |
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| Birth name | Todd Alan Hillier |
| Born | March 31, 1964 |
| Show | Ron and Fez |
| Station(s) | the ViRUS |
| Time slot | 12:00 - 3:00 PM ET Monday - Friday |
| Style | Host Executive Producer Comedian |
| Country |  United States Canada |
Fez Marie Whatley (born Todd Alan Hillier, March 31, 1964) is a talk radio host and comedian who co-hosts The Ron and Fez Show. From October 9th, 2007, Whatley was serving as the Executive Producer. 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 grew up in Pinellas Park, Florida, is a big Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning fan (even going a far as getting tattoos of both teams' logos on his body). He grew up watching professional wrestling and is very knowledgeable about it. He is a particularly big fan of Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair, and his stage name may have been an allusion to Pez Whatley.
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[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 had 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 had a fear of everything ranging from falling out of the Roosevelt Island Tramway, being crushed in a collapsing subway tunnel during his regular commute, collapsing bridges, to "violent" dog breeds. He is also freakishly tidy, and lived alone with little to no contact with others outside of his job, being alone a self-reported 17-18 hours a day (71-75%). 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. Elfish and Fez also enjoyed a trip to Graceland as a result of that series of wagers.
Fez's bits often stretched out for an unusually long amount of time, sometimes evolving into an extended plot line, much like the wrestling shows Fez enjoys. One such example was his claiming of having a fiancee in Niagara Falls, Ontario, 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 antagonist, 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 had a decidedly critical attitude towards Fez on-air, he had 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 off: "Everywhere I've ever worked nobody gives more than Fez Whatley."
Fez had said on several occasions (most recently on the air on January 29th, 2007) that he had synesthesia, a neurological condition in which he associated numbers with specific colors; e.g. 2 is blue and 4 is purple. He had also stated that he had obsessive-compulsive disorder, was extremely anxious, and moderately paranoid. Fez also claimed to have Asperger Syndrome, which is considered a mild form of autism. Recent discussions seemed to suggest Fez's neurological issues may have contributed to the troubling issues with his heart. He is undergoing psychiatric treatment and medical prescriptions to try to assist in the recovery from his recent surgeries and heart trauma.
Recently, despite ambiguity with regard to his sexual orientation, Fez had 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, despite Dawn agreeing to marry Fez in a recent show discussion.
[edit] Recent History
Fez suffered a mild heart attack on November 9, 2005. 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.
It was announced on May 11, 2007 on the XM show -- and later on 92.3 Free-FM -- that Fez was in the hospital and received a second stent earlier that day . He had been mentioning earlier in the week that he did not feel well and finally went to the hospital on the urging of the Ron and Fez broadcast team. Although he returned to the show a few days later on May 15, 2007, the following weekend Fez was back in the hospital with complications from his recent stent.
On the August 15, 2007 radio program, Fez mentioned he currently resides in an apartment building on Roosevelt Island, Manhattan, New York City, on the 14th floor, but it is actually the 13th floor because there is no floor labeled 13th.
Fez was a long-time supporter of Republican candidates. However, campaign finance reports indicate that prior to the 2004 election, a "Todd Hillier" donated $250 to the John Kerry campaign[1]. Fez listed his occupation as "Radio Host, Infinity Broadcasting".
Fez apparently provides financial support to his Florida relatives, including the payment of the family's season tickets to Tampa Bay Buccaneers football games. He has also mentioned how his mother enjoys the checks Fez sends her. Anniversary presents that Fez has given his parents include cruises to the Baltic Sea and Alaska.
Fez has recently adopted a feral cat, named "Skippy", from Island Cats on Roosevelt Island. He was told soon after it would have been better to adopt a raccoon. One trick-or-treater said his apartment smells bad, and Fez is considering removing Skippy from the premises.
In addition to his duties as on-air host, Fez received a 'promotion' to Executive Producer of the Ron and Fez show in E-ROCKtober 2007, and implemented an opening sequence called by some "AM radio Hits of the 70s". Callers' complaints led to Pepper Hicks resuming the opening sequence duty. He has a knack for beginning the second half of the show with songs about himself.
On Tuesday, 3/18/2008, Ron came on the air and was talking about Fez being in the hospital again. Apparently Fez had chest pains over the weekend and went into the hospital on Monday. He was kept on blood thinners and a Nitro Patch and was kept overnight for observation. There were no operations done, however[2]
[edit] GTA 4
Fez performed voice work for the game Grand Theft Auto 4. Fez plays the role of Marcel LeMeau, co-host of the in-game radio show "Fizz!" on the station WKTT.
