Draft:Chad the Bird

Chad the Bird is an American puppet op-ed columnist written and performed by Josh Zagoren, who delivers humorous essays about weekly news subjects. While he has performed all over the country, for the last 13 years he has performed regularly on Saturdays at the Paper Machete, a live comedy show at the historic Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago.

History
Chad the Bird is written for and operated by Chicago TV/Commercial Voice Actor Josh Zagoren. While attending Emerson College (2000-2004) Josh Zagoren began experimenting with alternative performance methods. Arriving in Chicago (2004) he began working with the Second City and iO Chicago, utilizing socks in place of performers to add a third dimension to the comedy. Chad was initially created for a 2006 sketch revue in Chicago. The sketch did well, and Chad began appearing more often in shows throughout the city. In 2011, Christopher Piatt started Chicago's Live Magazine, the Paper Machete, and reached out to Zagoren to deliver an essay on a weekly basis as Chad the Bird. Chad soon became a staple of the show.

Initially designed by Josh Zagoren in 2006, Chad the Bird was redesigned and remodeled in 2020 by Andrew Marchetti, owner and sole designer at Proud Fist Puppetry.

Other Mediums
Outside of the Paper Machete, Chad hosts his own podcast, Chad The Birdcast, where he includes his weekly essay along with an intro and outro around the topic but also with his own musings. Videos of his live essays can be found on YouTube, as well as a biweekly live pinball stream hosted by Chad at the Logan Arcade. Chad can be found on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

Chad has hosted a variety of YouTube short shows, including Chad LIVE in 2007 for LiveVideo, CrashPad in 2010, and The Chad Show for YouTube in 2020.