Walk Of Fame Star Honoring 'The Office' Creator Greg Daniels Unveiled

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Thursday honoring Greg Daniels for a television writing and producing career that has included developing "The Office" and co-creating "Parks and Recreation" and "King of the Hill."

Daniels' longtime friend and writing partner, former late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien, and "The Office" star Steve Carell were among those joining Daniels at the ceremony at 6357 Hollywood Blvd., between Ivar Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard.

Daniels and O'Brien attended Harvard University at the same time, both working on the undergraduate humor publication The Harvard Lampoon. They also wrote together for "Not Necessarily The News" and "Saturday Night Live."

The ceremony came one day after the second-season of the Daniels- created mockumentary series "The Paper" was released on Peacock.

As he accepted the star, Daniels thanked his parents for planting the seeds of a comedy career at an early age. He noted that his mother had a tradition of writing funny poems on birthdays, and his father would often tell a story about getting into a feud over a New York parking space — a story Daniels later sold to "Seinfeld" and led him to get hired as a writer for "The Simpsons."

"There's a cliche that writing is a solitary act, or that all comedians are angry," Daniels said. "I have not found that to be the case. Writing has brought me together with the most interesting, loony, fun bunch of people in my life."

Daniels also offered some disparaging remarks about artificial intelligence in Hollywood.

"They are selling AI as a tool that will let you make a TV show all by yourself. Who wants that?" he said. "That is getting it absolutely backwards. The point of making a TV how is the wonderful people that you get to meet. It's the whole point. ... So just, like, solve climate change already with your stupid AI ... instead of taking the jobs that people actually want to do."

The star is the 2,856th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars.

Born June 13, 1963, in New York City, Daniels began his television career in 1985 as a writer on the HBO sketch comedy series "Not Necessarily the News," but Daniels and O'Brien were soon laid off during budget cuts.

Daniels and O'Brien were hired as writers for `Saturday Night Live in 1987. Daniels joined the writing staff of "The Simpsons" in 1993, with his first day coinciding with O'Brien's last.

Daniels won the first of his four Emmys in 1995 as "The Simpsons" won for outstanding animated program. He won his second in 1999 when "King of the Hill" won in the same category.

Daniels won two Emmys for his work on "The Office." It won for outstanding comedy series in 2006, while Daniels won for outstanding writing for a comedy series in 2007.

"Greg Daniels has had an extraordinary impact on television and popular culture through his remarkable creativity, wit, and ability to tell stories that resonate with audiences around the world," Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in a statement, going on to call him "a true visionary whose work has brought generations of viewers laughter, inspiration and unforgettable characters."

City News Service