Kevin Bleyer, an Emmy-winning ‘Daily Show’ writer, killed in car crash at 54

Kevin Bleyer, a “The Daily Show” writer, died in a car crash Sunday, his wife said in an Instagram statement. He was 54. “I am devastated, heartbroken, shattered,” Nella Vera wrote. “My heart has a hole in it that will never be filled,” she posted alongside a picture of him. Bleyer’s family said the accident happened on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania, Variety reported. He had a home in the area. Bleyer worked on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart for nine years and an additional eight years as a writer for “Politically Incorrect” with Bill Maher and Dennis Miller. He won four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Writers Guild Award and a Peabody Award for his work. Bleyer wrote speeches for then-President Barack Obama and then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, among others. He also authored books and plays. A graduate of Stanford University, Bleyer also worked globally, including in Kenya, Jordan and Moldova. He briefly lived in Kyrgyzstan where he executive produced “Studio 7,” the first political satire news show in Central Asia, according to his official website. He has also worked as a writer and producer for NBC News’ “TODAY” show and CNN, it added. Bleyer met his wife in 2010 at a production of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” at the Public Theater, Vera wrote on Instagram. “We became fast friends, bonding over our shared love of political comedy,” she wrote, adding that they had begun dating in 2015 and were married in June 2025. “The last eleven years have had their ups and downs, as life does, but above all, they have been filled with immense love, laughter, dogs, and travel. I was in awe of his intellect, dazzled by his wit, amazed by his fearlessness and spirit of adventure, besotted by his loving heart, and smitten by his beautiful blue eyes,” she wrote. Vera urged the public to donate in her husband’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association New York City chapter, where she said he had been a volunteer. She hailed his “many public accomplishments ... throughout his long and successful career,” but noted that “to me, he was my soulmate, my partner in crime, and the one who made life so much more fun.”