Ross Mathews aka “Ross the Intern” in UAB Homecoming comedy show

Get hilarious for Homecoming 2011 when UAB Student Life and Alys Stephens Center present Ross Mathews, aka Ross the Intern, Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Television personality Ross Mathews, who got his start as Ross the Intern on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” is headed to the UAB campus for a hilarious Homecoming comedy show.

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The event is co-presented by UAB Student Life Blaze Productions and UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. The show is planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $21; $10 for students with valid ID. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.

Mathews will bring the opinions and comedy he’s known for as a weekly panelist on E!’s hit late-night talk show “Chelsea Lately” and as Ross the Intern live to the ASC stage. The show won’t be strictly stand-up — he’ll tell stories and share a multimedia presentation referencing pop culture, hot topics and his own life and experiences. A frank Q&A with the audience will close the show with an uproarious blast. 

Whether covering the Academy Awards, jumping out of a plane or shopping in London with pal Gwyneth Paltrow, Mathews’ innate, joyful approach is fresh, outrageous and funny. E! Entertainment Television named Mathews one of the 30 Most Outrageous Celebrities — proof he’s among the most interesting personalities on television.

As a child he knew he wanted to be a TV host, and he got his chance when he applied for the No. 1 rated late-night talk show in the nation and was hired. The unpaid position was like any internship: copies, faxes, coffee. But on his last day the show’s head writer told Mathews they believed he had what it took for TV and sent him with George Clooney to the premiere of “Ocean’s Eleven,” where he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet. He was such a hit that soon producers asked him to cover another premiere, then the 2002 Winter Olympics, and his career took off. For nine years, Mathews traveled the world as a “Tonight Show” correspondent interviewing everyone from Oscar winners to royalty.

Mathews has guest starred on NBC’s “1 vs 100” and “Phenomenon,” appeared as a guest co-host of ABC’s “The View,” was a contestant on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club,” and was a celebrity correspondent on entertainment news programs “Extra” and CBS’s “The Insider.” He can be seen as the recurring character “Chris” on soap opera “Days of Our Lives.” Mathews continues his correspondent duties as a creative consultant for “The Tonight Show.”